Day 3

Sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to make it clear why L was an insomniac, and I wanted some of Light's more caring side to come out. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and remember that I always welcome feedback, good or bad!

Falling down, down, down, into the endless pit of despair….No one was coming, and even if they were, he was being pulled down by hands of shadow….Darkness was his only escape, and yet he feared being alone with himself. Faces flashed in front of his eyes, bringing back memories that he would rather not remember. The hands grew stronger, pulling more urgently now. 'Come,' they whispered, 'come, and join us….' He had to keep fighting them, his past would not reflect his future….

The hands turned into those of his trusted allies, pleading with him to join them. 'We are your friends,' they asserted, 'and we would never hurt you.'

No, I have to wake up!

'We will help you,' they begged in unison, 'and we will bring you to paradise….'

They aren't real, I have to wake up!

'Oh, but we are as real as you are. We are a part of you, your hidden demons, your secret torturers. You will never be rid of us, because we are you, as much as you try to hide us.'

No….No….No….Please, go away!

'We are here forever, foolish boy.'

•••••

Ryuzaki was peaceful while sleeping, Light decided as he watched the curled-up figure that was L. He was hugging his knees to his chest with one arm, while the other hand's thumb was in his mouth. Calm, serene, and innocent.

Suddenly, L started to speak. "No….Please, not them….Go away!" His words slowly escalated into screams, and he began to kick and claw at the covers on top of him. "You aren't real….You can't be real….I can't accept your existence….No…." Fading to a whisper, the sleeping detective began to cry. "N-no…."

"Ryuzaki, wake up!" Light tried in vain to wake up the genius, but nothing he tried worked. He resolved to make his presence known, and crawled into bed with L. "It's ok," he said, stroking the detective's hair. "I'm here, Light's here. Nothing will hurt you," Light said, trying to calm down the crying detective.

Ryuzaki slowly realized that there were warm, comforting arms around him, slowly waking him up. "What…" Then the memories of his dream flooded into his head all at once, and he began to sob, his body shaking with sadness and helplessness from his dream. They were in his head, in his brain, drowning out all other thoughts.

"Shhh, it's ok, I'm here. Don't worry," said the To-Oh student, brushing some of L's hair out of his eyes. "You're awake now. I'll keep you safe, you're ok, it's all ok."

"L-light-kun…." But the detective couldn't go on. He stopped talking to let out a cry of pure angst, sadness, and the torture of feeling helpless. Quietly whimpering, he wrapped his arms around Light, hugging him tightly like a stuffed animal. "I-I-I…."

"You don't need to say anything. Shhh, calm down. It's ok, I'm here, you're safe, nothing is going to hurt you."

"I….No one else knows. Except Watari. H-he always would help me through them, and c-calm me down. L-like Light-kun is d-doing now. Th-thank you, Light-kun." L was still having a slight panic attack, and he leaned his head into Light's chest.

"Is that why you have insomnia?"

"Y-yes, it is. T-those night terrors h-have been haunting me for all of m-my life."

Light pulled the detective in for a larger hug. "Well, you're safe now. Do you want to try and fall back asleep, or…?"

"I would l-like to stay and try to f-fall back asleep. I-if you try and help me, I m-might be able to."

So that is how they spent their night, falling asleep in each other's arms. L felt safe and warm for one of the first times in his life, and Light enjoyed the company.