denial
Light was lying on top of the rock, arms behind his head, eyes open and ash dusting his eyelashes.
'Why did you punch me?'
Light turned his head slightly to glance over at Lawliet.
The cat skeleton lay in the ash, complete except for a few missing toes, and Lawliet was crouched there staring at it, hands on his knees.
'I don't think the dead cat is going to answer that question, L,' said Light.
Lawliet sent him a sideways look. 'When you didn't have your memories of being Kira.'
'Oh,' said Light, and straightened his head to stare back up at the heavy wisps of mist curling above them. 'Yes, that was strange. I don't think I'd ever punched someone before.'
'I could tell,' said Lawliet.
'Heh.' Light sat up, turning so that his legs dangled over the edge of the rock, head tilted down so his bangs obscured his face. 'When you give up ownership of your Death Note, you lose all memories of it.' His fingers tapped slowly on the stone beside him. 'If I'd been able to look at the evidence with a clear mind, I believe I would have concluded that I was Kira. However, I suppose that isn't allowed, and thus giving up ownership made it so not only could I not remember being Kira, but I could not even consider the thought of being Kira.'
He glanced up, then, meeting Lawliet's gaze. 'And, because I could not consider the possibility, I lashed out in a way that I would not have under any other circumstances.'
A thumb moved to Lawliet's lips. 'You seemed to come to a point where you believed you were Kira while you were locked in solitary confinement, though.'
Light blinked, finally, and particles of ash fluttered from his eyelashes. 'I suppose the Death Note's power could not hold completely on a mind thats sanity was crumbling.' He glanced at one of his wrists, the cuffs of his shirt unbuttoned to reveal scarred skin.
He curled his fingers for a moment, and then relaxed them, lowering his hand back to the slab of rock, which did not feel cold; he was just as devoid of heat and heartbeat as the stone was. 'And it appears that its power does not hold at all on the dead.'
Lawliet's dark eyes were round, and he smiled against his thumb. 'It looks like there is some amount of justice, after all.'