No one saw it coming

Raito had never felt so content, which was strange since there was a crick in his back that continued to scream discomfort and he felt oddly sticky in places. Still, the overall warmth was soothing, solid against his body from beneath his chin to past his toes. He liked the feeling and didn't dare move to ease his pained back for fear of disrupting the slumber of the figure with him.

L. Raito wouldn't have believed it yesterday. If yesterday was really a single day, that is. He wasn't entirely certain if shinigami time worked the same way as time on earth, but if the day before really was only a single day, the last time Raito slept he was still human.

A shiver climbed up Raito's crick and gave him a desire to move with sudden fury. He twitched, and to his relief, L did not move. Raito shifted his back then with a welcoming pop, and still L did not move. Finally, staring down at the black head on his chest, Raito reached with his free hand, the other being pinned beneath L's body, and wiped away the drool that had collected on his chest during the night. He didn't want L acting all embarrassed. Besides, he didn't really care. The places he and L were currently connected were warmth, almost sweaty, and it was a welcome difference from the freezing cold around them. Raito would swear it had dropped at least ten degrees.

L shivered as if to confirm this and made a few nondescript moans and mumbles before managing, "Raito-kun…?"

"Still here. Still cold. Still…dead," Raito finished with a laugh.

L did not find the humor. "How long have we slept?"

"Not sure. Several hours. I woke up a while ago."

Sitting up and stretching his pale arms above his head, L wore an odd pout and looked down at Raito despairingly, "Raito-kun," he said, "Why did you not wake me? We should have set out as soon as we were bodily capable."

"Which is exactly why I let you sleep," Raito countered. He placed his hands behind his head and allowed himself to lounge, enjoying the freeing feeling in his lungs that were no longer being pressed down upon by another's body. "You need sleep, Ryuuzaki. I let your body make the decision of when to wake instead of your brain. It was…the more logical thing to do."

L sat, somewhat scowling, somewhat blank-faced with remnants of sleep, and was managing this in what Raito realized was a surprisingly straight-backed position. Even as the detective spoke, Raito found himself mesmerized by L's change in appearance just from sitting up. "Your logic has no logic, Raito-kun," L said, "Concern, perhaps, courtesy, but not logic. Logic says that we must find our way out of this desert as soon as possible or we will die from dehydration and lack of food. Are you listening to me?" he pressed then, noticing that Raito's attention was nowhere near L's face. Raito was busy staring at L's neck.

Raito watched as L subconsciously brought a hand up to touch the back of his neck, as if something must be wrong with it, or perhaps a spider was crawling there if Raito was staring so hard. Raito found it amusing when L huffed in frustration at finding nothing.

"Raito-kun…" L said warningly.

"You have posture, Ryuuzaki," Raito explained, "No curve. Look. You're…fuller. Not so scrawny and closed-off. It suits you." Every word that left Raito was caressed with sincerity. He was honestly amazed L could actually sit without hunching.

A slow blush started from the tip of L's nose and spread. It was easy to spot with L's pale skin, and in vain attempt to stop it, L pulled the blanket up to his chin. "It…felt appropriate. I do not have any intention of maintaining posture, as you say, indefinitely. I have told you before that sitting as I normally do is the most conducive to my reasoning skills."

"Yeah. I remember," Raito answered with a touch of annoyance. Finally, he sat up as well. He realized then how close the two of them were, even with L wrapped up in their makeshift blanket, and was surprised to find this just as soothing as having L asleep in his arms.

Raito shook his head. He really needed to find some other company for the two of them soon. He shuddered to think what he might do, what he might risk, if left to his own devices for much longer.

"Better get going then," Raito said, standing and stretching his back with several more releasing pops, "Who knows if we'll find anything, but we still have to try, right?"

Sitting on the dark ground, wrapped tight in their blanket, L looked very small and very young to Raito. There were traces of a new pout now, though Raito didn't want to think what it was for. Large, drooping, but much better rested eyes, looked up at him like a puppy.

"Geez, Ryuuzaki. Keep looking at me like that and I'll think you want to eat me."

There was nothing slow about L's blush this time.

Raito grinned. "What?" he said, "Can't handle a joke. Come on," and Raito reached down to pull L up onto his feet whether the detective felt like moving or not.

It was very quickly that Raito realized his mistake. L gave an audible hiss when his feet touched the ground. Raito felt so foolish. He had completely forgotten that L's bare feet had walked along the rocky landscape for hours the day before, and would only be worse now that they had rested and started to form bruises and scabs. How could he ask the other man to continue walking?

"Here. Take my boots. I don't need them," Raito said, sitting back down and starting to untie the leather that held them securely in place, "Your feet look terrible."

L frowned. "I am aware of my current condition, Raito-kun. I do not, however, see any logic in this choice of yours. You do not need to be so selfless for my sake. What good will it do us if we both have trouble walking?"

Raito paused mid-unwrapping. L had a point. Even boot-clad now, L's feet would bother him, and soon Raito's would be hurting as well. It wouldn't be logical at all.

Recently, Raito had begun to realize how much he hated logic.

"I could…carry you."

"Out of the question."

"Why? You can barely stand let alone walk another hundred miles on this rock."

L, arms crossed and feet gingerly shifting weight to test their ability to move, shook his head in firm resolve. "If I indeed find I am unable to walk further, then perhaps, and only as a last resort, would I allow your sacrifice. Even then, it would be more logical—"

"To leave you behind," Raito finished. He stood back up, boots still on, and eyed Ryuuzaki as if sizing up an opponent. L froze to see Raito looking at him this way, as Raito surely looked at him while they were both on Earth and alive. "Should I? That would be most logical, wouldn't it? To leave you now, I mean. You'll only slow me down, after all. It would be the most logical thing if I just left."

The flush that had remained in L's cheeks vanished, leaving only ash. L opened and closed his mouth, meaning to speak but unable, several times. Finally, he said, "Yes. That…would be best."

Later, Raito would recognize what a foolish thing it was to do, but at the time there could have been nothing more gratifying than punching L back onto the ground as hard as he could.

L stared up at him, not understanding, but Raito could only shake, both fists clenched tight.

"You don't get it, do you?" he said, "This isn't survival of the fittest anymore, Ryuuzaki. We're already dead. Now, I may not know what it is we'll find out there, but whatever it is, we're finding it together. Do you understand? Even if I have to crawl with you on my back. I will never leave you behind."

Black and caramel eyes locked, but L turned from the look quickly and rubbed at his eyes as if still waking. Raito could have sworn he saw something glistening for a moment. Impossible though, he thought. The great detective L does not cry. Perhaps he hit him a little harder than intended.

Perhaps not.

"You…are an eternal paradox, Raito kun," L said, keeping his face turned away from Raito even as he stood.

"Yeah, and I'm also the only friend you have in the world, this one or any other. I hope that means more than just…putting up with me."

For the first time, Raito was certain that when L looked at him the expression he saw was indeed a smile. "Of course," L said, "After all, Raito-kun, it was I who waited for you. I could never have left you either. I apologize for being so difficult."

Raito had to laugh at that. "Ryuuzaki, when are you not difficult?" He was smiling despite the words, and because Raito meant them with all kindness, L managed to keep some of his smile as well. "Shall we go then?" Raito said.

"Yes. Each on our own two feet."

"Fine, fine. But at the first sign of stumbling…I'm picking you up."

At the moment, Raito picked up their blanket, and in a grand motion he swept it around them both. They would have to walk nearly touching the entire way, but Raito intended this. It would keep them warm, he reasoned, and it would also make it easier for him to tell when L could no longer carry on.

L shivered against him as they started to walk, and Raito dared not wonder if it was because of something other than the cold.

-----

"I never read comic books."

"Never?"

"Well…"

"Come on, you had to have glanced at a few. And you at least had to have seen the television show. English or Japanese. The Japanese translation had its own opening, you know."

"Raito-kun…"

"Passing the time, remember. I'm just curious. Which one?"

"Again, if I would have to choose, though I swear I am not terribly adept with this particular line of information, it would be…I suppose…Beast."

Raito laughed. "There's a surprise. L chooses the intellectual mutant."

"He is also incredibly strong and agile, you realize."

"And has a tendency to do work in strange sitting positions," Raito added with a grin.

"That too."

The pair was still on their endless trek, walking gingerly to spare L's feet, but moving as quickly as they could manage. Their shirts, woven into their blanket, was wrapped around them tighter than ever so that Raito had an arm snaked behind L's back to help guide his steps. L had initially protested the close contact, but his protests have long since died.

"And you, Raito-kun?" L inquired, "Which X-men character would you choose?"

Although Raito had asked the question he was not always used to L throwing the same question back at him. He thought a moment, and finally said, "I always liked Wolverine best, I guess."

L did not laugh, but something almost like a chuckle escaped him. "The sometimes gentle but more often feral and ruthless killer. How fitting."

Whether or not it was their conversation or their continued closeness that caused it, Raito and L had grown impervious to each others' barbs. This of course meant that they were supplying such barbs at a much more frequent rate.

The fact that L found it so easy to tease Raito was as unexpected as it was welcome. Little by little the detective was also discovering his more juvenile side. It made Raito grin just a little more.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Raito said, his grin stretching the entirety of his face, "I also liked Mystique, if we're counting female characters, what would you say to that?"

The same half-chuckle responded, "Goodness, Raito-kun, one wouldn't even need a psychology degree to decipher that one. I have known too well your many faces."

A part of Raito's smile dropped. "Kira," he voiced softly. It was still a difficult topic, much as they tried to joke their way around it.

"Mmm," L nodded, "But more than that. There is your tender face. And your driven one. One moment you can show such concern for me and the next you strike me down, all with the hope of getting me to be better than I am. These faces are not bad, merely different, and I never know which one will look at me next. Yagami Raito. My paradox."

Perhaps in the past it would have disturbed him, but Raito enjoyed being labeled something possessive in L's life. They really did belong to each other now. They had experienced life and death together, because of each other even, and now they had a chance to try all over again.

If they ever found something outside this damn desert.

Raito was thinking about that, about how much he wished there would be an end somewhere for both of them so L could rest and heal his feet, and so he could rest his own spirit. He had hardly had time to breathe since his death. He was grateful for L's company but he wanted it in better surroundings. For both their sakes.

Yes, Raito was thinking very much about that, and so he did not hear the noise that caught L's attention.

"Does that sound like…flapping to you, Raito-kun?" the detective asked, slowing his pace, and forcing Raito to slow and eventually stop along with him.

Raito blinked and was back to being perceptive. Flapping? If he strained he could indeed hear something like wings. "You're right. But where is it—" Raito turned to look behind them and as he did he saw clearly where the noise was coming from. He didn't have time to finish his phrase. All he could do was shout, "Run!" before he took off, dragging L beside him.

L was too busy stumbling to look back, but he did not hesitate. Whatever had spooked Raito it was enough to send the young man into a flurry. L did his best to run, but his feet were a bloody mess, bruised and stinging. He could not run for long.

"Leave me," he said, and nearly tripped as he forced them to a stop with Raito's arm still swung around his back, "Just go."

"Damn it, Ryuuzaki, what did I say?" Raito growled, eyes alight and wild with urgency. He tossed the blanket from their shoulders, stole a quick look behind them at whatever was approaching with the sound of that terrible flapping, and scooped L into his arms. There was no time for protests now. Raito ran, headlong and determined, he ran. "I told you. I'll never leave you behind."

In this new position, much like a bride carried over the proverbial threshold, L felt very foolish, but he said nothing. At least like this he could risk a look back and see finally what it was that had Raito so scared.

Wide black eyes grew two sizes. He could not believe it. Everything he had been told had said this was impossible. The shinigami had sounded so adamant about not going into the distant areas of differently colored rock that L was almost sure they physically couldn't. Clearly, that assumption had been premature.

Confident and strong in the flaps of his black wings, Ryuuku was on their tail, a clear figure in the distance. There were no other shinigami with him, of that L was certain and very relieved, but Ryuuku was still there, gaining on them quickly. Legs could not match up to wings, after all. Ryuuku would surely catch them, especially with Raito slowed now that he had a hundred odd pounds of dead weight in his arms. And now they had lost their cover as well. What if they needed the sheet later? Logic still made L believe it would have been best if Raito left him. At least then he might have stood a chance.

L decided not to dwell too heavily on how pleased he was that Raito had instead kept his word.

"We'll never make it, Raito-kun. If Ryuuku-san can follow us, then where is sanctuary?"

Raito's breathing was heavy, his face red and filled with emotion. "Damn, Ryuuzaki," he said through stolen breaths, "Will you stop…being logical for one second…and try…for me…to find some optimism. Nothing can happen if you do not believe it."

"A paradox again, Raito-kun. You may be right, but physics are against us. He is gaining. We have nowhere to run."

"We have whatever lies ahead. I will not stop."

Such determination. Raito knew it was foolish, but he could not help wanting to believe in the impossible. After all, he killed thousands upon thousands of people with pieces of paper and a pen. What more proof could he need that the impossible happens every day?

There must be a way, Raito thought, even as he could hear Ryuuku's flapping grow louder. It did not matter what the shinigami had planned, all that mattered was that they escaped, somehow, and found whatever it was out here that their trek had led them too. There had to be something. Anything.

It couldn't end like this.

"Raito-kun…"

"Save your breath, Ryuuzaki."

"Shouldn't it be you who is saving his breath?"

Raito decided not to answer that.

"I only speak to tell you…that regardless of what happens…there are no regrets in me. I only wanted to be with you…again."

Foolishness begets foolishness. The words were soft, tender even, spoken in a tone of voice he knew he had never heard from L before. There was affection in it, honest and without obligation. L was speaking as if they were destined to die again.

And as much as Raito would not accept such a fate, the moment he took to look at L, stunned as he was by the detective's words, was all it took for his feet to misstep.

They fell hard, flat forward with Raito landing on L's hip and crushing the other man against the rocks. He heard L gasp and groan against the pain, Raito's own fall mostly broken. He had only enough time to roll away from L and check his companion for injury before the flapping behind them came to a sudden stop.

Both young men turned to face their would-be attacker, L curled in on himself as the pain began to subside, and whatever futile hopes they had been clinging to seemed to fall like petals around them.

Ryuuku stepped closer, his wings gone, his perpetual smile eerie with the reflection from these differently colored rocks. As before, Raito knew fear he had not allowed since his first meeting with the shinigami. He was only human again and in the shinigami world. There were no more rules. Ryuuku could tear both him and L apart if he so chose.

Ryuuku took another step, and another, and just as he opened his mouth to speak he came to a very definite stop. It did not look at all intentional, more like the shingami had stepped up to a wall and failed to walk through it. Ryuuku tried to take another step, but the same halting jerk happened. He reached claws up to touch the unseen obstruction, and found…something. Something enough to hold him back.

"Impossible…" L said, recovered enough to sit up properly now.

Raito could only stare.

Ryuuku banged a fist against the barrier. "Not fair!" he cried, "How can you have power to do this? You are only human!"

Understanding the accusation, L and Raito looked at each other as if to ask which one of them was secretly some sort of sorcerer. Both shook their heads. But if it wasn't them…

"Let me through!" Ryuuku shouted, "I have not followed you to harm you. It was you who ran away. And now…now you're fully human just to escape this place. We could have done so much for your world, so much for mine, and you run?!"

"I am not Kira!" the words spilled from Raito's throat instinctually now. Whatever dream of destruction and deviousness Ryuuku had been awaiting, it would not come to pass. Raito would be free. He was sorry and he would suffer for his deeds forever, but he would live again. "I…am not Kira. Find yourself another god, another role-model if that is what you want. I will not be that for you. I want nothing to do with it. Go back, Ryuuku. Go back to your world and change it if you want. Just leave me out of it."

In answer Ryuuku raised another fist to pound against the barrier, but his hand fell before committing the act. His face fell too, and Raito would almost swear the shinigami was pouting, despite his constant smile.

Suddenly, Ryuuku crumbled to the ground in a heap of crossed legs, and sighed. "You were so much fun, Raito. Shinigami live dull lives, but you…you made it worthwhile again. I could never find another like you."

"Then don't," Raito said, standing up now and walking close, but not too close, to the barrier's edge, "Find another way. Kill corrupt politicians. Kill criminals if you want. Make the world something new. But do it on your own. Or better yet," he thought aloud, trying to find a smile now that he was no longer running for his life, "Summon a view screen and kill whoever you want, but find some humanity instead of more years of life you don't want. Maybe then…you can know me as a friend instead of an…icon. I don't want to be known for what you admire me for, Ryuuku. I just want to live my life again."

Ryuuku stared at the ground, not really looking at it, and seemed to contemplate what Raito had said. When he spoke again, his voice was solemn. "I do not think I have the will for that. What do I know of being human? I only know the parts you despise."

Raito smiled for real now. "Figuring out the rest is half the fun," he said.

"Umm…Raito-kun?" came L's voice suddenly.

Raito did not turn around. "Just a moment. Listen, Ryuuku," Raito said, "You don't have to do anything. Figure out what you want and do that. All I'm telling you is that it won't include me killing anyone. That's not who I am. Kira's dead. You should know that. You killed him."

"Raito-kun," L said again, a tad more insistent.

"Just a moment, Ryuuzaki," Raito responded in kind, still looking at Ryuuku.

But Ryuuku was standing, still solemn and unsure. He gingerly reached out to touch the barrier again, and again he found it, keeping him from getting any closer to Raito and L. The shinigami sighed once more and then turned, releasing his wings as if to fly away.

"Ryuuku, wait!" Raito called, and the shinigami paused just enough to look back, "I…I don't…blame you. I don't. You were right. Everything was me. I always had a choice. Whatever decision you make, just remember, it's yours, and no one can ever take that from you, even if you later regret everything. Okay?"

Part of Raito wondered if Ryuuku would scoff at him for trying to sound so philosophical and righteous, but they were things he needed to say, thing he needed to release in order to find some forgiveness for all he had done. Even if Ryuuku never understood, Raito was glad he had the chance to tell the shinigami the truth.

Ryuuku said nothing, merely glanced past them both at whatever lay beyond the barrier, nodded to Raito once, and then took off, flapping back towards the shinigami world.

Raito stood for several moments, watching Ryuuku go. "I wonder what he'll do," he said.

"I would be more inclined to question what we will do, Raito-kun. That is, if you would be kind enough to acknowledge me finally and that I have been trying to get your attention."

The mild annoyance to L's tone was one Raito had grown accustomed to by now. He turned slowly and gave L his most annoyed-in-response look. "What? I'm sorry for landing so hard on you, but…I…" Raito trailed off. His eyes had fixed on the object delicately held between L's pointer finger and thumb.

A small, soft, and very pink flower petal.

"Is that…?"

"A cherry blossom. It would seem. I landed on it."

"A cherry blossom."

"Indeed."

"Where would a cherry blossom come from around here?"

"Hmm, sounds like something worth investigating, wouldn't you say, Raito-kun?"

A smile returned full force to Raito's lips and he moved swiftly to gather the still sitting L back up into his arms, despite immediate protests. "Sounds very worth investigating…Lawliet," he grinned, "Why don't we have a look at what just saved us?"

-----

Several minutes later, their highly prized find had awarded them with many sisters and brothers. There were not merely the occasional petals on the ground. After while, there were fully grown cherry blossom trees. They were full and beautiful and everywhere. The ground too began to soften and Raito realized he was walking on grass long after the terrain had changed.

It almost seemed too good to be true.

After some prodding, Raito agreed to set L back down. His arms were growing tired and the grass looked very welcoming to sore feet. L's look of bliss when his feet touched the soft green proved that he could not have imagined a better remedy for his bruises. Raito doubted it was a complete recovery, but he allowed the detective to walk on his own.

They continued on, and for what seemed forever there were still only cherry trees. Something loomed in the distance, but they could not yet make out what.

"Strange," L said, catching a falling blossom in his hand and studying it like a scientist looking through a microscope.

"I know. Where do you think they came from?"

"Oh, I wasn't wondering that, Raito-kun. It is strange that they are blooming, that's all. It isn't the right season for them, is it?"

Raito stared over at his companion incredulously. "We've been in a rocky shinigami desert for over a day, we find a grove of cherry trees, and you say 'it isn't the right season'?"

Naturally, L had no idea what was so wrong with his statement. "What?"

Knowing when to pick his battles, Raito just shook his head with another grin. "Look, maybe we should rest a bit since we're in the clear. Your feet must be killing you, grass or not."

"Actually, they feel perfectly fine. It's strange. It's almost as if…" As L was saying this he lifted one of his feet to get a better look at the damage, and was stunned into silence to find it perfectly healed. No blood, no bruises, nothing. "My. Do you suppose this place has healing properties?"

Raito stared at L's lifted foot, partially considering the question, but also marveling over the ease with which L could lift one foot practically up to touch his nose. "Maybe," he answered finally, "Or maybe we have healing properties because of this place."

L set his foot back down and gave Raito a small smile. "A healing factor, Raito-kun?"

Raito had no choice but to return the expression. "I did say Wolverine was my favorite."

Another succession of minutes later, and the distant looming something formed itself into what they realized was a building. The grass had found a path, and they were on that path now, being lead to this building that was surrounded by cherry trees and floating pink petals.

"You don't suppose…"

"Don't say it, Raito-kun."

"It's only…well…I could imagine many things about a possible…Heaven. And this isn't all that bad really."

"I understand. And yet…nice as it is…it doesn't feel like Heaven to me. Besides," L added, pointing at the building that was focusing more and more as they approached it, "I must confess that I never expected Heaven to have its main offices in a replica of the Diet building."

Raito almost laughed, but when he looked forward and really took in the shape and nuances of the building, it really did look like the Diet building. But…they weren't on Earth.

So where were they?

"How are you feeling, Ryuuzaki?"

"Wonderful actually. You?"

"Better than I did when I was alive." Raito looked at L and grinned wide, coming to a sudden stop. L stopped with him. "This isn't Heaven. But I am a little…interested."

"Yes…" L's eyes betrayed that he knew Raito was up to something, just not what.

"So…I was thinking…" Raito's grin was sinister for exactly two seconds, before it became entirely childish, "Race you there!" he shouted, and was off like a shot before the last word left him.

Raito ran as fast as he could ever remember running, and though he felt fatigue catching up to him, it was almost halved compared to what he would normally expect. Especially with how weary his body should be right now. It felt great.

Sensing L close behind, Raito pushed further forward, running like his feet barely needed to touch the ground, and he realized then that they barely did. He was enjoying himself so much, he didn't notice that L had gained and overtaken him until they reached the building and L's hand touched the front doors seconds before his.

Both young men gasped for breath, both sweaty and tired and loving it, and both were very content with everything. L's smile was even almost normal looking.

"Well-deserved goofing around time?" the former detective asked.

"Definitely."

Once they had caught their breaths, they knew there was only one thing left for them. Together, each claiming one of the double doors, they pulled…

…and were so fiercely grabbed by various hands, their breaths were stolen.

Raito cried out, wondering if it had all been some sort of trick. He could hear L struggling and crying out along with him, and he started to panic. The light was so bright, he couldn't see, and he could feel so many hands on him, pulling him, dragging his feet down what must have been a hallway but could have been anything.

Distantly he heard people speaking.

First, a stern man, "You're late."

A young girl. "So cute!"

A man that seemed especially gifted in whining. "Why do they get the new desks? I've been here longer than anyone."

A boy. "Stop complaining."

A man with far too much excitement in his voice for the age he sounded. "How exciting! I've been running low on willing participants, after all. New blood is always fun."

These phrases turned into chattering amongst the group that presumably belonged to the hands Raito could still feel dragging him. He wanted to yell, to struggle away, but his body felt infused with what he had felt outside, like a new life was pouring into him and it was so intense, he could do nothing but obey where the hands led him.

He heard a door open in front of them and close behind. He felt cool air he knew was from a fan and not from outside. And finally he felt himself pushed into a chair, and heard L huff beside him, hopefully having been pushed into a parallel chair, until finally, finally the world began to focus again.

Raito had to admit he felt wonderful. But he wanted answers.

The initial answers he got were not at all what he expected. He certainly didn't anticipate the hands belonging to what looked like a group of…office workers.

"Who…are you people?" Raito managed.

The man with the stern voice, wearing a well-tailored brown suit and glasses, pushed said glasses further up the bridge of his nose and said, "You are in JuOhCho located in Meifu, the land of the dead. A slightly different version than the one you just left, I should add. We are part of EnMaCho's Shokan Division. And you two," the man said, pointing at Raito and L, "have been assigned a new post."

The man who had before sounded particularly adept at whining, who wore a rumpled black suit and had the most amazing purple eyes, bounced like a puppy, despite his obviously adult age, and said, "You're shinigami now," as if it was very exciting news and they should be only too happy to hear it.

"What?!" cried L and Raito together. Had they not just risked their unlives to undo that very thing and now they were…

"Wait," Raito said, holding up his hands and looking over the group of people before him.

Besides the two men Raito had taken notice of before, there was a boy in a jean jacket who looked rather pissy, a girl who could have been only fourteen, a man with round spectacles, long blonde hair, and what looked like a small owl on his shoulder, and another man, previously unheard amongst the hands, who had pointed ears and a cigarette in his mouth. Despite the slight beastly look to that final man, none of these people looked anything like shinigami.

"This is…a different land of the dead than the shinigami world we left?" L asked, going off of what the stern man had said.

The blonde man with the owl leaned forward, inspecting both L and Raito with odd closeness and said, "Oh quite different. We are the flip side of the coin, if you will. The prettier and less nasty side. The major difference being, of course, that instead of being granted the ability to take lives, we ensure that wrongly taken lives are set right, and that souls end up where they are intended to. Much more exciting, I can assure you."

Raito wanted to scream. They had left one shinigami world for another. This was unfair, this was ridiculous, this—

"This makes perfect sense."

Raito turned and looked at L as if his companion had grown another head.

Noticing his friend's stare, L turned to look at Raito and explained, "The universe is filled with checks and balances for equilibrium, Raito-kun. If the shinigami world of Ryuuku-san exists, it is logical that one quite the opposite would exist as well. It is rather exciting, don't you think?"

"No. We're still dead!"

"Actually…well, yes, you are," said the pissy boy in the jean jacket, "But you're a little more than dead. You feel different, right? That's your new shinigami body taking effect. You can go down to earth, eat, drink, bleed. You're practically human, just…not."

"Fascinating." L was clearly enjoying every part of this.

Raito was enraged. "I wanted my life back!" he cried.

"Then you shouldn't have lost it," said the stern man. Again the man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Raito had a feeling he was the type of man easily respected, easily feared, and hard to get along with. "You forfeited your life the moment you touched that Death Note, Yagami Raito. We knew you would end up here eventually, but you had to choose it. You did. Good for you. Now you can live something close to your life, but with a price. You work for us now. There is a lot of backed up paper work thanks to your years of rule. Shinigami kills are prepared for in the Hall of Candles that catalogues all lives, but for a human to use a Death Note, that messes with the whole system. Your first assignments will be to clean up your mess. I do apologize, Mr. L, that you must share this punishment," he added, looking at L, who started a bit at being reffered to as Mr., "Though from the looks of it, you are not entirely displeased."

If Raito didn't know better, he would swear L was bouncing in his seat.

"Imagine, Raito-kun," L turned to him, "Endless cases to solve. How often do deaths go unexplained, hmm? Constantly." The smile on L's face was practically manic, mainly because the detective usually smiled so subtly.

Raito wanted to be angry, he really did, but everything that had been said to him made sense, and was in fact a much more fitting punishment for him. He could live, but with a duty, and first his duty would be to fix what he had done wrong. He really had no right to be upset over getting what he deserved.

And there would still be L. His…partner, it would seem. Maybe there was some excitement in store for them after all.

"Well, now that all that's settled," said the blonde with the owl, pulling eagerly on L's hand and lifting the former detective from his chair, "We must do something about your attire."

Raito too was pulled from his chair, led gently by the young girl. He didn't want to ask how she had come to be a shinigami, nor did he want to ask the boy who looked only a few short years older than her.

"You can't go around half dressed, after all," the blonde man said, since Raito and L were left only in their pants, and L was still barefoot.

As they were led into a back room, Raito watched as the blonde leading L suddenly made a fist behind L's back and punched him hard just above his tailbone. Raito's initial instinct was to pounce but the man with purple eyes was suddenly next to him, holding him back and smiling.

L gave a gasp at the punch, but did not move to attack. He simply looked at the blonde man with a grimace.

"Posture first, dear boy," said the blonde man, "That knock should last you a while, I think. Keep you from slouching."

At this news, L looked positively horrified.

Feeling more at ease now, Raito returned the purple-eyed man's smile with a half one (the most he could manage with all that was going on) and continued to follow. He rather liked the idea of L having to walk standing up straight. Seeing the other man sit that way had been very pleasing, after all.

In the back room there were two screens that had been set up for them to change behind. They were thankfully led first into the bathroom, pushed roughly into a large shower, still in their pants, where they spent several minutes like that until they thought it was safe to remove the rest of their clothing.

It was a little awkward having to shower together, and they knew those people were waiting for them, so they finished quickly, barely ever once meeting eyes before they left the shower, thankfully being immediately handed towels to cover them with.

Then they were pushed behind the screens and given clothing, which they were only too happy to put on.

Raito emerged first, comfortable in a tan suit and red tie that he realized resembled a little too much his old school uniform. But it was tailored perfectly to fit him and looked, he had to admit, very good.

L took much longer, presumably because he rarely changed at all except after baths or showers, and was used to a single set of clothing. When he did emerge finally, Raito's draw dropped. It was more than just L's forced posture. The detective looked…really good.

He was wearing jeans, yes, but fitted ones, a T-shirt, yes, but also fitted, and with a design on the front that was wonderfully artistic. And he had a short leather jacket on with a high collar, that open with the T-shirt beneath looked…perfect. Raito had never seen L look so put together. And the former detective didn't even look uncomfortable.

"Not bad," Raito smiled.

L smiled a little shyly in return, also enjoying his appearance as he turned to get a better look in the mirror on the far wall. Before he could speak, however, the blonde man came forward.

"A rushed job, I know, but we're already behind schedule. We'll show you to your desks and you can get started. You'll be doing paper work for…quite some time before the real cases start. But you've been given a section of Tokyo, which is very prized. You'll never be bored here."

Indeed, they were shown their desks, which were side by side and cluttered with paper work that made them both suddenly sullen. It would take weeks to clear through it all.

Thankfully, they were afforded a little time to get acquainted with the other staff members, and were also shown the connected apartments where they would stay when not working. Their own rooms were small and simple, but workable. They didn't think to question that they were only shown one apartment for the two of them. That is, until they were shown the bedroom.

"Excuse me, Watari," L said, looking to the blonde man who finally had a name, "But why are Raito-kun and I to stay here together with only one bed between us? Is there a shortage of rooms in Meifu?"

"No," Watari said, "We just thought we'd make things easier for you."

"Easier how?" Raito questioned, coming around the bed and staring at it half in fascination and half in suspicion.

Watari grinned. He was the only coworker who had brought them to their apartment, the others having much work of their own. "Well, we assumed, you see, that you would be most comfortable in a familiar environment. Whenever we have watched the two of you together, when you were still both on Earth of course, you were…often seen in the same bed, after all."

"Yeah, handcuffed," Raito countered, realizing suddenly what these people assumed of the two of them.

Watari chuckled behind his hand. "Right, well…that is…entirely your business." And he walked away quickly, heading for the front door. "At your desks in ten minutes, says our dear Tatsumi," Watari called behind him, and was soon gone, leaving them alone in their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

"It would seem they have some misconceptions about us, Raito-kun."

Raito felt like punching something, though he wasn't entirely sure what or why. "You think?" he said, and didn't move, since he didn't really want to punch one of the freshly painted white walls.

"Do you…mind it that terribly?" L questioned.

Again with the pout, Raito thought. L was a master at it, because it didn't really look like a pout, but he knew it was one. It was something L did with his eyes, maybe his lips, something, and it just made you want to do whatever the damn recluse asked of you.

"If you would prefer we change this arrangement, I am certain they will be willing to find us another room. Or another bed at least." There was disappointment in L's words, damn it. Why was there disappointment?

"Ryuuzaki," Raito tried, sitting on the edge of the bed and allowing his own posture to curve much as L's might have in the past, "I'm just…flustered. Impossible, I know, but I am. This place, everything, it's all happening so fast. I never expected this. It has nothing to do with our…this bed."

Carefully, L sat on the bed next to Raito, keeping a good distance between them. He could not curl his posture, much as he might want to, thanks to Watari's decisive punch. "Raito-kun," he said, "I hope you will not be bothered by what I am about to say, but…I would not mind terribly for us to share this place. Or this…" L couldn't say it, but his hand brushed the comforter and Raito understood. "But only because I have grown so fond of your immediate company and I…don't think I care to live alone again. It might be…nice…to be together."

"Dead together?" Raito tried with a smile.

L's lips twitched. "Yes."

"I guess I can…handle that. It might be better if we got an extra bed in here though. I mean…eventually."

"Eventually," L agreed, and that was good enough, even if they never really got around to getting one.

"So," Raito said.

"So," L replied.

They weren't human. They were shinigami. Meifu shinigami. JuOhCho shinigami. If they dared say it, good shinigami. This was going to be an interesting eternity.

Raito got up and L got up with him. They left behind their new apartment with its currently solitary bed, and returned to their office, to their desks, to their casework. And what made everything fall into place and so wonderfully worth it was when Hisoka, the pissy boy, brought Raito a strong cup of coffee, and Tsuzuki, the slightly annoying and very good at whining man, gave L the last of the jelly doughnuts.

Not Heaven. But for Raito and L, it was close enough.

THE END

A/N: HA! Take that! Bet you didn't see that coming. And yes, it was planned all along. You see, once upon a time and late at night during a discussion with my roommate, the question of how to end this fic (after the first chapter went up) was posed. By morning they were in Meifu and neither me nor my roommate is quite sure how. At any rate, there you have it. I know, not much for boy on boy action, but that's what obligatory sex epilogues are for. And one shots. Please feel free to write your own one shots about Raito and L in Meifu.

Oh, and if anyone doesn't understand what's going on, they are in the anime Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness). If you don't know it, go get it. Right now. Really. The anime is wonderful. The manga is even better, though incomplete.

Anyway, thanks for all your support and I hope you enjoyed. Flames will be ignored but uproarious laughter will be shared amongst all. Thanks again, and as always, see ya next ficcie!

Crimson