Light opened his eyes, and noticed that he was again on some different place.

'Where am I?'

It was early morning, and a dim light was coming in, through the window, from behind the drawn curtain. His eyes landed on a bedside table, then he turned his look to a cabinet with the mirror that reflected the image of the rest of the room.

When he turned, he saw the princess waking up.

"Good morning, love. Slept well?"

"Yeah, good morning, Misa," Light greeted her, and rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes.

The young woman leaned closer and kissed him on the lips.

"It's time to get up."

She began to rise from the bed, still naked from last night. Light watched her and wondered when he would have the opportunity to touch and kiss her again, because he knew he would not have time for that now.

Probably in the evening.

Misa cut him off from his fantasies and said, "Sorry, Light, but I have to go have breakfast with my parents, as I did so far, so that they wouldn't suspect anything. Rem will prepare breakfast for you and will bring it here."

"That's okay, as long as I don't need to cook it myself, and as long as is not a fish I need to eat."

Misa giggled. "No nothing like that. I already told her what to cook, I didn't forget when you told me you don't want to eat anything that came from the sea or the ocean."

Light shuddered at the mere thought of that.

Misa picked up her dress from the ground, and dressed quickly. "I need to be fast. I'll settle in my room and change in clean dress. Rem will bring you clean water so you can freshen up. Your clothes are in the closet."

"Thank you."

"And... when you finish your breakfast, Rem will take you to Aizawa for your sword lessons. That's all, for now. You can wait for me here in the room, if I don't get in time to join you on your lesson. Later, we will see what we will do next."

"All right."

She kissed him one more time, and hurriedly left the room.

...

The sword was a hard thing to hold. Light learned this the difficult way. When the swordsman explained to him the basic things about swords, he gave him one from medium swords, to let Light get used to the grip, and to get a sense of holding the sword in his hand.

He then taught him what positions to take in fencing. In defense, or attack.

After about ten minutes of fencing, Light began to feel pain in his arms, but didn't want to complain. He tried to endure it as long as possible, but he had no idea how long the lesson would last.

While he was just a merman, he didn't carry anything heavy in his hands, and his muscles wasn't used for those kinds of things. He only exercised them while swimming, but he mostly relied on his tail.

When, in the one moment, Aizawa struck Light's sword hard with his own, young man's sword swung out of his hand, and flew to the ground behind him.

"Are you holding it or what?!" the black-haired man asked irritated.

"Yes, but I think this is enough for me today. I can't hold it anymore," Light admitted unwillingly.

"What? What are your hands made of!?"

Light rolled his eyes as he picked up his sword. He wanted to explain to the man, that he was only a merman until recently, and that he had never held or seen a sword in his life. Although he had heard stories about them, he didn't get a chance to see them.

Mer-people didn't have the need for weapons invented by humans.

He began to feel anger at being weak in this form, and decided that at any cost he would become stronger.

Instead of arguing with the man, he said, calm as he could: "I am sorry. But I need to rest. It'll take me a while to get used to it. I have never needed to hold such heavy things in my life."

"Pfff.. what kind of man are you?! We can continue tomorrow, if you don't get muscle inflammation." Aizawa returned with a little sneer, then noticed that the princess was approaching them.

"Hey! Done already?"

"Yes. This friend of yours is some weakling. You should have warned me about this before you brought him here..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think that would be a problem. Light has some personal reasons why it's so. That's why I wanted you to train him."

"OK. I will not stick my nose into it, but he could have been seriously injured. At least, if he told me in time that he could no longer endure to hold it..."

"Well, I am really sorry. It won't happen again, I promise," Misa apologize once again, but Light remained silent.

She looked at Light, then Aizawa again. "Tomorrow Light will skip the lesson, but he will come again on Saturday. Be careful, both of you next time. Let's go now, Light. Thanks and goodbye."

"Goodbye Princess." Aizawa bowed to the princess and just glance at Light, not greeting him at all.

'Well, that wasn't the best start,' Light thought, sighing, disappointed.

When they were far away enough, Misa stopped, and asked, "are you okay, Light?" She took his hands in hers and looked at them, looking for injuries.

"I'm fine, Misa, I'm not hurt. It's just my wrists, they hurt."

"Then today and tomorrow you will only rest. Otherwise, can you read?"

"Yes."

"Great! I'll tell Rem to bring you books so you don't get bored. I have to go with my parents now to the neighboring kingdom, so I won't be there for a few hours..."

"Oh..."

"But don't worry, as soon as we get back, I'll come back to you!"

"All right. I'll endure that much," he said nervously. He didn't like being alone in this new world. He felt uncomfortable when he needed to be left alone.

"I'm sorry, love, but I have to go with them," the princess stated sadly.

"I understand, it's okay. Don't worry about me."

"But I worry!" She grabbed him by the arm, and clung to him. "And I want to be with you all the time."

"I know, Misa, I want it too, but sometimes we have our obligations, we need to take care of."

"You're right," Misa admitted reluctantly, "Rem will be there, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask her."

"Okay."

When they reached Light's room, they separated each on their own side. Light went to his room and Misa to find Rem.

Light washed his hands with cold water to release tension in his palms. After that, he changed his clothes, and headed to the Ocean in the hope that he would have a chance to talk to his friend.

He walked along the sandy shore, when he heard Ryuk call him. He turned in the direction of Ryuk's voice, and saw the dark fish swimming towards him.

"Hey!"

"Hey."

"What's up, Light? You don't seem very enthusiastic... by the way, you remained as a human, after all?"

Light released a heavy sigh, and looked to the distance. Then, after a brief pause he spoke: "yes, well... not exactly. After the third day, I changed back to my previous form, but I went back to the octopus and demanded that he bring me back to my human form. And by some miracle he listened to me, but I had to give up the possibility of becoming a merman again, and going to see my family."

"Really?"

"Yes..."

"And you accepted it...!?"

"As you see."

Ryuk was visibly disappointed with the news.

"You know, everyone was looking forward for your visits... and now... now when I tell them you gave up on the chance, they will be heartbroken."

"I know, but I had no other options."

"Eh..."

"They will overcome it somehow. When the opportunity arises, they can come to the surface to see me."

"I doubt it. None of them wants to be exposed like you were exposing yourself."

"I'll figure out some way."

"Right. Otherwise, how are things with the princess?"

"Good. I can't complain. She had to travel with her parents today, so I have some time to myself."

"Good, at least you have a chance to speak with me."

"Yes, but Misa already knows I was a merman."

"Really?"

"Yes, because the change happened in her presence. I couldn't avoid it. But she promised to keep it a secret."

"I hope so."

"I believe she will."

"Okay, I'm not saying anything."

"Yes, you are!"

Light looked around to make sure no one saw him talking to a fish, then said a little quieter, "I'm going to the village now. I'll see you again tomorrow or some other day."

"Okay, see you!"

"Say hello to everyone and tell them I'll figure out a way to see them again."

"Okay!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!" Ryuk dived into the water and sailed deep into the ocean.

Light moved away from the water, but stood close for a while. Then he slowly headed to the village.

What he was not aware of was, that he was closely followed by someone, from the shadows from the distance.

...

Brown-haired young man walked through the streets in the center of the village. He attracted the glances of many young women who looked after him, curiously.

He used to go by the stands with different products. People were selling different things on the streets daily, in front of their homes.

When he came to the fruit stand, he was greeted by a black-haired woman, who was bringing, and displaying fresh fruit from the casks. She already knew him because he had bought fruit from them several times, and she smiled at him when he approached.

"What can I offer you today? Today we have fresh peaches, and apricots, if you like..."

"With pleasure, I would take a little from each."

"Okay, choose." She also handed him a small cloth bag.

As the young man was picking the fruit, the woman observed him, "you know... you were kind of familiar to me the first time I saw you. For a few days, I was thinking where I seen you, but now that I see you again, I am sure and safe to ask."

"Really..? I don't remember ever seeing you before, and I am not from here so I don't believe we had a chance to meet before..." Light retorted but continued to pick the fruit.

The woman came closer to him and said, "so, I'm probably right..." and then she added in a quieter voice, "your name is Light, and you've been a merman before, haven't you?"

Light's eyes widened, and he paused, 'so this woman saw me...? But how does she know my name?'

He looked up and stared at her.

"Don't worry, I won't reveal your secret to anyone," she chuckled, "I was a mermaid, too, once. My name is Naomi, by the way."

His staring look instantly turned to confused, and Light asked in a low voice, "really?"

"Yes, it was few months ago when I was changed into a human being."

Light was speechless, so she continued, seeing questions in his eyes.

"The reason was simple. I fell in love with my current husband, Raye. You've seen him before when you were here, if you remember..?"

"Yes, I think that I remember." Light nodded, and waited with interest for the woman to continue.

"And because of that love, I was looking for a way to become a human, and to be able to live on the other side. It was a little uncertain - whether my feelings would be reciprocated or not, but I was willing to take the risk, and I was lucky. After a month or so, we managed to get together, and after six months we got married."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad for you."

"And why did you make this decision?"

"Me? ...Also for love."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. I fell in love with a young woman, and I later learned she was actually a princess."

"Lucky you! Yes, I remember seeing you in her company too, but I remember you when I saw you for the first time with that fisherman."

"Yes, Matsuda is a friend of mine. He found me first, after the change."

"Hehe, you were lucky! I was found by a little girl, but, she wasn't very skilled at giving CRP, luckily her father came along and helped her."

"Yes, probably... that's one of the problems we face when crossing to this side."

"Indeed, no one counts on that, but I think that maybe magic draws people to the rescue..."

"Yes, maybe..." replied the black-haired woman thoughtfully.

Then one question started to bother Light. He hesitated a little, but curiosity gave him no peace, "Lawliet was the one who changed you?"

"Yes. L Lawliet. You too?"

"Yes..."

"He is truly wonderful, and we are fortunate that someone like him exists, and has been able to change us. I think he is the only one in this Ocean to master this magic, I have not heard of anyone else."

Light noticed Naomi talking about Lawliet with genuine enthusiasm, and gratitude. He just wondered if she had paid the same or similar price as him, or maybe something else? But he didn't notice that she was missing some part of her body.

"Maybe. I'm grateful to him for that, but I'm not really thrilled with him as a person," Light stated with a frown on his face.

"Why? Don't tell me you belong to the majority too?"

"What?"

"All those who hate him, and speak only bad things about him..."

"I think they talk like that about him with a reason," Light finished, and paid for the fruit.

Naomi, meanwhile, continued to speak, "it's a big injustice that everyone hates him so mu-"

The brown-haired man interrupted her: "-I wouldn't be so sure. Maybe magic requires it, but I think he chooses what to ask from people in return an-" but he paused in middle of his sentence, remembering how he had lost his virginity because of it.

This gave Naomi the opportunity to explain a few things.

"I'm one of the few mer-people who knew him personally. Even though we didn't hang out and visit each other, I know a lot about him."

She sighed and continued, "L always did everything with a reason. Most of them who asked for transformation were the ones whom L didn't want to fulfill their request. Many came with all sorts of intents, not everyone asked for legs like the two of us - for love. Some of them had nasty plans against people. L, on the other hand, knew each of them, so that was the reason why he asked from them to sacrifice parts of their body or their abilities. Of course, they were practically forced to give up because of those conditions. And that is how Lawliet got enemies and haters. Those who spoke bad about him spoke even worse. But he didn't care about it. He used to live in solitude, so it didn't bother him that much, at least he tried to make it look that way. But I think that he suffered a lot because of it. I honestly always felt sorry for him, but he never let anyone befriend him. He only has his two closest helpers, Wedy and Aiber, and that's all."

Light couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head in disbelief.

But...

Why?

Why then did Lawliet asked for his virginity?

That gave Light no peace, so he asked, "then what did he ask from you in return?"

"From me? Well, I paid to him with gold, and nothing more."

Light was shocked.

'Just. Gold?'

He couldn't believe how Lawliet wasn't asking the same thing from Naomi. Naomi was really a beautiful woman... then how did he only ask for gold from her?

'..Or was it because L was only into men...?'

At that thought, Light blushed slightly.

"And what did he ask from you?" Naomi asked curiously, seeing him blushing.

The young man's nervousness increased, but he decided to tell her only part of the truth. "Lawliet asked me to give up my family..." he hoped that would be a sufficient answer for the woman.

"To give up your family...? Well, I'm not surprised that he asked for that, if you thought only bad about him. You can be happy that he asked only that."

'Yeah, totally...'

"Well, you're probably right." He said and was getting ready to go. It was too much unexpected information for him. He wanted to be alone again so he could process them.

"I will be going now."

"Okay, all right. By the way, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. Goodbye."

"Take care!"

"Thanks."

On his way back to the castle, Light was again passing by the smith shop. This time inside was a blacksmith, forging some tool. Light had been always curious about those things, and wanted to know more, so he came closer to see what the blacksmith had in store.

Above the entrance and window was written 'Wammy's smith workshop.' The blacksmith was a grey-haired old man, and Light was impressed, how he was still capable of carrying out the Blacksmithing business.

"Good afternoon, young man." He greeted him, when he noticed him standing by the window.

"Good day to you too, sir," Light smiled slightly.

"What can I offer you?"

"For now, I'm just looking. Maybe I'll need something in the future."

"All right, go ahead. You can come in."

"Thank you."

The shop was large enough, and not everything could be seen only through the window. So Light decided he would take a closer look at things inside. The blacksmith continued to forge.

Many of the things, Light saw, didn't even know what they were used for. He realized that he still had a lot to learn.

Only one thing he knew for sure, that he was very interested in fencing, and didn't intend to give up after the first unsuccessful day.

He saw few displayed swords, and looked at them enthusiastically. There weren't many of them, but it was his first opportunity to see several types of swords in one place.

"You like swords? Are you a swordsman?" The older man asked.

"Not yet, but I had my first lesson today, and I plan to be a good swordsman one day."

The old man nodded.

Light continued, "I like each of them. Do you make them on order?"

"Yes, I do most of the work on the orders. These few swords serve more as a sample of my work."

"They're really wonderful."

"Thanks." The man resumed his job and Light continued to tour the rest of the shop.

When he had finished, he headed for the exit. "Thank you, Mister...-"

"Quillsh Wammy. That's my name."

Light nodded, "my name is Light."

"Nice to meet you, young man."

"Nice to meet you too, sir."

Light always felt uncomfortable, because he had no last name.

Mer-people had only their first names, and didn't get their last names. Here, Light was feeling as if he was rude.

He continued to walk down the street, and didn't stop anywhere else. Later, he felt like someone was following him. There were many people on the streets, so anyone could be suspicious, but he didn't see anyone stalking him.

Slowly he continued to walk his way, feeling mildly uneasy. Naomi's words, about Lawliet, came to his mind again.

Light was feeling confused. He didn't know what to think.

Part of him despised the octopus, but a part of him began to sympathize. 'If that's the truth about Lawliet, then he doesn't deserve such hatred. But - but what he did to me... I can't forgive him. I still don't understand why..? Why did he want 'that' from me?'

'Was I the only one...?'

From those thoughts, it clutched in his chest. He realized, that he wanted the answer to be, yes.

Pinch of jealousy crossed over him, at the idea of L being with someone else.

He frowned, '...that shouldn't concern me,' and shook his head, squeezing the canvas bag in his hand.

He wants to forget.

He needs to forget.

But he knew that would be hard.

'Everything in their own time... only with time, will I forget about it... I am sure if that. Dammit. Lawliet...'