2. REUNION

A/N: I'd like to thank any reviews and feedback thus far. A few of you have asked me the frequent question: Is Light going to get revenge on Near? Without spoiling, I will say that Light is certainly the Light from canon, and Near will make an appearance in this fiction at a later time. For now, the main focus is on Light and "L"'s relationship and cooperative abilities.

With that said, hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)

It happens so fast, Light's brain doesn't register the pain until the upper half of his body has fallen to the ground, leaving the lower half standing like a broken statue. His organs splatter across the rocks—his intestines act like a long rope connecting his upper body to his lower body. The light from his eyes extinguishes, leaving behind two dull shells. The last thing he sees is the face of the person who did this to him.

Light wakes with a jolt, sitting up and feeling his abdomen where he had been sliced open. No scar. No bleeding. No organs lying around. Nothing. Had he hallucinated?

"It was no ghost," the booming voice says with a rumbling laugh. "You were cut in half."

Light follows a figure in his peripheral vision. The pale body stands staring with eyes that could only belong to the devil. Light's body tenses and shakes. He tries to calm himself but can't. Fear washes over him. This person, no, this thing couldn't be the person he worked beside in life. A beast stands before him, and his body is telling him to run.

But he can't run. The moment he moves, the beast takes two steps forward, prepared to lunge for his throat this time. It'll be upon him again before he can find an escape route.

All he can do is freeze and hope it doesn't attack him. Even though his body somehow repaired itself, Light still remembers everything—the pain especially, the sight of his organs, the knowledge that this thing can kill him again and again with ease. He needs to think of something to say quick lest he find his head disconnected to his neck.

"Ryuzaki…no wait, L, don't you remember me?" A weak smile appears on his face. "I'm Light. I'm your friend. Your first friend."

The pale body raises its head as if in recognition.

His smile extends and tears fill his eyes. "See? Don't you remember? We were friends. We worked together to track down Kira. We worked together to protect justice. We worked together to defeat our enemies."

"Ki…ra." The pale body steps forward. "Kira. Kira. Kira." It stands a few feet away from Light.

Light looks up at its face, and his smile dissolves.

"Kira…Kira." The face hovers within inches of his. "You are Kira."

Two pale hands grab either side of Light's face, nails digging into his skin. He goes to scream but blood clogs his throat. Either thumb digs into his eye sockets, squeezing them apart. The nails crack his skull. His head explodes.

This time when he wakes, Light jumps to his feet and presses his back against the nearest wall. Sweat drips from his forehead. The pale body stands several lengths away.

"Please," Light begs, holding up a hand in a feeble attempt to protect himself. "Please, no more! I'll do whatever you wish! Please!"

The pale body doesn't see moved and advances toward him.

Light's eyes widen, and he shrinks. "No!"

"That's enough."

The pale body stops and looks up at the god king.

"He appears to understand what you're capable of doing to him. Your task is to help him find his Death Note." The god king directs his attention to Light. "Those two deaths were to set an example. Should you die again, you'll die for real. If you wish to free yourself, you must work together as equals. The stronger the bond, the more chance you have of success."

Light stands. How could he ever work with something so primal and horrifying? He begins to realize this retribution is more like a prison sentence he must carry out than an attempt at freedom. He remains defensive. "How do I know it won't keep attacking and killing me?"

"I don't," the god king says. "But if you put in the effort, you may have a very capable ally with you on your journey."

A capable ally, he says? Light stifles a laugh. How could something so intent on killing him ever become capable of anything else? Let alone helping him. But Light decides to play along in hopes to keep his head this time. He wipes sweat from his forehead. "All right, I'll see what I can do. Is there anything else I should know?"

"You have three days to find the current owner of your Death Note. Remember, in that time you must either serve them until they have handed the notebook to the next owner or you have defeated the current owner. That's all I will leave you with for now," the god king says.

The walls and ground shake again, and Light wonders if it's another hole opening up or an actual earthquake. He cranes his neck around to see a wall open a doorway to the outside.

"Take care on your journey, Light Yagami. I hope you won't be a disappointment."

Light has a retort, but he holds it in and bows his head to the god king. "Thank you for this opportunity." He pauses and lifts his head. "What name may I call you?"

"There is no name that I am called," the god king says with pride. "Not even by my lesser Shinigami. But you, no longer mortal nor truly immortal, may address me as Kami."

It translates to god—the same title that once belonged to Light. He knows the name isn't the god king's true identity. It's meant to mock Light. Nevertheless, he bows again. "Very well, Kami. I shall prove to be your entertainment." Light glances over at the pale body. It hasn't moved from its spot and still watches him with those dull eyes. The longer Light looks, the more he wants to leave. He turns to the exit and walks toward it, hoping that no eye contact or direct conversation will keep him alive. He doesn't walk too fast or slow. He imagines he's walking into a business meeting, very formal and interested but not too overzealous in appearance. With Light's attention fixated on the opening, the pale body doesn't rush him.

"Oh, on the contrary," Kami's booming voice rattles the chains, "there is one more important detail you must know before departing."

Light stops and feels a burning sensation on the back of his shoulder. His teeth grit together. It feels as if someone is pressing a hot iron to his skin. When the pain lightens, he cranes his neck around to see the scarred tissue on his flesh. The brand is shaped like the letter L.

"That brand officially ties you and your familiar together. It cannot be removed under any circumstances."

The pale body steps forward and approaches Light. Light shrinks, fearing it may pluck out his heart and show it to him. Instead, the pale body passes by him and exits the cave.

Light blinks, gives himself a moment to recuperate and then leaves.

Outside the cave sits a wide valley that stretches as far as the eye can see. Tall mountainous rocks create a wall that neither Shinigami nor human can climb over. A long staircase of bones and rock leads into the heart of the valley. Light notices the pale body descending and follows.

Silence wedges between them for the majority of the descent. Kami's advice lingers in Light's head—the brand, the bond, the Death Note. It boggles his mind that the thing walking in front of him has taken the form of his greatest adversary and competitor in life. How can he learn to work with something that has no desire to work with him? How can he converse without getting his throat slit?

He stops about halfway down the stairs. No, if the only way to get him his freedom is to work side-by-side with this thing then he needs to try harder. He needs to break the barrier that is triggering this manifestation to attack him so violently.

Light closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath. If he's going to play this game, he's got to have an ally. Even if that ally is hell-bent on killing him. "Ryuzaki," he says. "Can we please talk?"

The pale body stops several steps below but doesn't turn around.

"Do you remember anything from your past life?" Light asks. "If not, what do you know?" They are two simple questions that aren't necessarily related to him. Here's hoping there's a reply of words not claws.

"Ryuzaki," a voice like ice echoes. "Why do you call me that?"

"It's the name you…" Light considers his words. "The name I was told to call the person who you resemble."

The pale body begins to turn, and Light drops his gaze to the ground before those eyes catch him looking. "Ryuzaki. Who was he to you?"

The memories wash over Light like a wave from the ocean. He remembers meeting a man named Hideki Ryuga at the college entrance exams, who scored perfectly like he did. He remembers how "Hideki Ryuga" introduced himself as L, the famous detective on the Kira case. He recalls their tennis match, losing his memories, the Yotsuba Group investigation, regaining his memories, and finally ordering Rem to—

Light presses his lips together and raises his head. "He was my equal."

"Was?"

"He died."

"Because you killed him?"

Light thinks fast. Should he lie about this part? No, he shouldn't. Lies won't solve this tension. Lies will only get him into trouble. "I ordered someone to kill him for me, yes."

The pale body ascends a step. "Who?"

"A Shinigami."

"Which Shinigami?" The pale body comes dangerously close to his face.

Light licks his lips. "Her name was Rem."

"Rem." Its finger lifts and presses against its bottom blue-colored lip. "Is that so?" It nods its head. "Very well."

Even before Light can explain what had happened next, the manifestation leaps from the stairs and falls over a hundred feet into the valley below.