Beginning of a Journey

L led the way through the cramped bushes as they left the lookout and their escape rout behind. Light cursed silently for probably the hundredth time in the past hour as a branch smacked him in the face; he was convinced that the Neko was doing it on purpose by that point. The storm had more or less abated during the few hours they had been indoors. There was still a light sprinkle of rain every couple of minutes, and the wind was stubbornly hanging around, but it was nowhere near as intolerable as before. Light had quickly gotten used to the sting in his ankle, along with the furry weight on his shoulder that seemed to be on the verge of becoming a second limb. He sighed as he turned his attention from the hunched figure slouching through the forest before him to the mouse near his ear.

"So, Naomi-san, was it?" Light inquired, keeping his voice pitched low despite the fact that they had not seen another person for hours. He noted with satisfaction that one of the Neko's ears flicked in their direction as he spoke. Light couldn't decide if it was curiosity or paranoia that motivated the act, but at least it was a reaction of some sort.

Whiskers quivered as Misora debated whether it was safe to attempt conversation. "Yes," she replied simply, neck craning as she looked the boy in the eye. "How did you come across Leon?" She suddenly asked. Light shrugged.

"Some white hounds were chasing him and they tried to eat me." Light muttered. Naomi shot L an accusing stare.

"You didn't tell me the Wyverns were still around!" She scolded him. Light grinned; she sounded like his mother, but this time it was funny because he wasn't the one on the receiving end.

"That is correct." Light felt the mouse twitch on his shoulder.

"I am aware of that, Leon," She hissed. "What I want to know is why you…?"

"What's a 'Wyvern?'" Light interrupted. As entertaining as the budding argument was proving to be, he needed some answers—and was most likely to get them from the riled up rodent.

"Distant cousin to the dragon," the response came from the black-haired Neko, amazingly enough. Misora snorted.

"As if that explains everything." She glared at the expressionless Nekomimi. "They're a cross between dragons and hounds from the Abyss," Naomi lectured, "and are controlled through an artifact by a sorcerer. They're basically capable of tracking anything anywhere in the world—which is why Leon was supposed to have taken care of them last year!" She not-so-subtly growled.

"There were complications." Naomi gritted her teeth on the rebuff she had been about to spit out; the man was her boss, after all… even if he was an arrogant bastard most of the time.

"When are we stopping?" Light interrupted yet again. The mouse and the Nekomimi paused and stared at the teenager simultaneously.

"We aren't." Naomi answered for the both of them. Light glanced between the two.

"Excuse me?"

"We are not resting tonight." L explained boredly. "The Wyverns will be on our trail by now; they will catch up in hours if we stop." Light's mouth tugged downward, but otherwise showed no sign of distress. He knew for a fact that he would not be able to keep up that pace, but there wasn't much of a choice if he didn't want to be eaten.

"So we have to slow them down somehow, right?" It was more of a statement than a question. "You said they could track anything, but there has to be ways to avoid them or you wouldn't have been willing to risk staying at that house…" L shrugged in response.

"There is a river in this direction. It will confuse their sense of smell if we cross it." Light nodded in understanding at Ryuuzaki's explanation and lapsed into silence. Naomi refrained from comment, but decided that she would definitely bring it up with L later. The trio plodded along wordlessly as the night deepened. The clouds slowly migrated into the distance, unveiling previously obscure stars. Light crossed his arms as the temperature continued to drop. He rubbed at his forearms as he fought his progressively leaden eyelids.

Naomi Misora found herself glancing at the exhausted teenager in concern more often as his limp slowly became more pronounced as the hours wore on. "Leon," She stage whispered to get the Neko's attention when it became apparent that Light had been reduced to concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. L glanced over at the mouse perched on the brunette's shoulder. "We're going to have to take a break." She pointed out. The cat man shook his head negatively. "Leon, the boy's exhausted." She lectured. L scowled off into the trees. That fact was not unknown to him, but he did not like the solution to this problem.

"Light-kun," Light snapped out of his stupor as the baritone voice spoke his name.

"Hm?" Light mumbled, swaying slightly now that his concentration was broken. Ryuuzaki stood with his back toward him, somewhat more stooped than usual.

"Get on." L ordered. Light rubbed his eyes tiredly, struggling to understand the enigmatic man before him.

"Huh?" He yelped as the Nekomimi impatiently hoisted the fatigued brunette onto his back. Light kicked his feet futilely as skinny arms hooked under his knees and dragged him into a piggyback position. "H-hey!"

"Light-kun," The teenager stilled instantly at the firm tone. He felt the Neko sigh beneath him. "This is inconvenient and uncomfortable enough without squirming to make it more difficult." L muttered, before continuing his shuffle-walk. "Settle and go to sleep."

"Yeah, easy for you to say," Light snapped, refusing to accept the situation.

"Would Light-kun prefer to be left behind?" The brunette bristled at the apathetic tone. "I will not slow down." Light grudgingly held his tongue and proceeded to burn holes into the back of Ryuuzaki's skull even as his eyes blurred tiredly. Light rolled his eyes but finally decided that it was inevitable and wrapped his arms loosely around those boney shoulders.

"I can still walk…" The brunette grumbled for pride's sake, grateful when the Neko refrained from comment. L stiffened as the teen rested his head near the back of the Nekomimi's neck. His furry ears laid flat as warm air trickled down the side of his collar when Light spoke.

Light yawned and settled more comfortably against the unexpectedly warm body in front of him. "Warn me if we're about to be eaten." He mumbled, already drifting to a semi-conscious state. L shook his head and wished he could chew on his thumb as he thought—which was impossible given his current position. Obviously the brunette was accustomed to being pampered; L had long since figured that Light was in the occupation of "Princess" or something similar… this served to further his theory, though that was not the original intention.

Naomi's whisker's quivered as she debated whether to broach the current subject occupying her mind. She waited for Light's deep, rhythmic breathing to announce that he had fallen completely asleep before creeping forward to perch on L's shoulder.

"So, Leon," she began conversationally, finger combing the fur on her face meticulously as she thought. "What's with the kid?" She asked. L turned to look at her and sighed inwardly as the mouse stared stubbornly back even as the-blank-stare-of-death targeted her. She grinned. "Think it's Fate?"

"Of course not," L swiftly shot down the idea. "It was random chance, Naomi-san; do not attempt to make it otherwise." Misora tilted her head to the side, a slow smile forming on her face.

"Those seers said something, didn't they?" It was not a question. She grinned in triumph when the Neko said nothing to refute the claim.

"Those people have too much time on their hands." He stated, shifting the young man on his back to make carrying him easier.

"You just say that because they keep harassing you with prophesies that come true." Naomi accused. L decided against continuing the pointless argument and instead turned to the productive pastime of staring aimlessly at the sky as he walked. "Anyway, you're changing the subject." Naomi huffed.

"It was Naomi-san that brought up the irrelevant concepts of fate—"

"Off topic," L frowned irritably, but refused to continue their conversation. Though Naomi Misora was well known for her prudence, and her competence when under duress made her an ideal agent, he found the odd bouts of romanticized idealism quite annoying. It had been an unplanned encounter, and because of that, he felt obligated to stop the teen from getting ripped to shreds since it would not have happened if the Neko had not stumbled across him in the first place. Simple as that. It's not like he had anything more interesting or important to do anyway. L's face remained stoic, though he pouted internally. Well, that was a lie. There were quite a few things he could think of that were more important than baby-sitting a runaway Princess while fleeing for his life from packs of rabid lizard-dogs… L did not feel like acknowledging them at the moment since they were considerably less interesting as well.

Light shifted with a barely audible, incoherent mumble. L sighed again; he had quickly become accustomed to the sensation of carrying something that wasn't already dead, and while he had decided that it wasn't entirely unpleasant, it was still distracting. He should be taking note of sounds that seemed out of place in the surrounding gloom, but instead found himself listening to the steady thrum of the teenager's heartbeat. Silken, chestnut locks brushed against his cheek, tickling his neck every time Light's warm breath moved them. L scowled off into the distance, his gaze becoming forebodingly intent as he forced his unruly thoughts to focus. His overly-analytical mind wanted to examine the unfamiliar sensations. Dissect them and come to some form of conclusion… or maybe his brain would just be sidetracked until his skin familiarized itself with the new stimuli.

At least he wasn't cold.

--

Light winced as specks of sunlight seared through his eyelids. That wasn't too unusual; his window was in the most inconvenient place in the entire room after all. He frowned as his sleep muddled mind slowly worked its way toward consciousness. Why was he in this position? He hadn't fallen asleep hugging his pillow since he was a child.

Gee—here's a hint, genius: Since when does your pillow Breath? Light tensed and lifted his head warily, snorting as something fuzzy tickled his nose. He blinked dazedly in the bright morning light, his memories of the past couple of days slowly returning. The teen felt a sudden dizzying instant of vertigo and choked down a shriek as his world suddenly inverted itself. He hit the mossy ground with a thud.

L hid a smirk behind his thumb as Light's doe-like eyes cast about himself in bewildered shock before glaring at the silently amused Nekomimi.

"Did you just drop me?" Light's menacing tone was mildly undermined by his rumpled hair and splayed position. Ryuuzaki's eyes widened into a caricature of innocence at the accusation.

"No." He said. Light blew a puff of hair at his bangs in frustration as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Whatever, Ryuuzaki," Light grumbled and stomped in the direction they had been going. L drifted patiently in his wake, deciding that he had tested divine princessly patience enough for the moment. "How much farther until we reach the river?"

"Mm…" The Neko put on a show of mulling the answer over before answering, "An hour."

"You're such a liar, Leon." A groggy mumble emitted from L's shoulder. Ryuuzaki's ear twitched, his expression once again neutral, though Light thought he could detect a smirk. "Fifteen minutes at the most." Naomi unraveled from the downy ball she had curled herself into while asleep and stretched out her stiff limbs. She gave her whole body a shake to wake up the rest of the way before leaping to the ground. Light squeaked as the mouse scuttled up his body to reclaim her perch on his right shoulder.

"Now that I think of it, what's with the multiple names?" Light asked. He had several theories, each one more fantastical and foolish than the last. Ryuuzaki shrugged.

"Does Light-kun know of spell casters and their like?" L asked. Light nodded dubiously in response; they were only one of the most common types of people in the world. "Does Light-kun know how they cast spells?" Light frowned. He knew it had to have some relevance to the name question, but he couldn't think of anything plausible.

"No."

"By manipulating true names." Some of his confusion must have shown, because the Neko elaborated a little more. "Elements, people, creatures, spirits… they all have specific names that allow them to be controlled." Light nodded slowly in understanding. That made sense with the fact that most spell casters had to do some arcane chant to get any effects…

"You must be really paranoid to go to those lengths," the teenager mused aloud. "I mean, what on earth has you convinced that someone is plotting your downfall?" The Cheshire grin on L's face gave Light the chills.

"It is not paranoia when people are truly out to get you." Came L's sagely answer, and Light could not help but grin in appreciation of the irony of that statement, "and I prefer to call it reasonably cautious." L explained. The young brunette's expression had long since slipped back into its calm, composed state, though inwardly he was chuckling at the explanation.

"So what are you going by then?" Light glanced at the mouse on his shoulder. He had forgotten she was there. Naomi waited impatiently as the Neko brought his right thumb to his mouth in thought. He looked at the sky as though reading his answers in the clouds before answering.

"I believe 'Ryuuzaki' would be best." L mumbled around his thumb, still regarding the blue depths of the heavens. "Leon is too well known to be of much use to me now." Light kept his thoughts to himself, though he dearly wanted to question the older man. He caught sight of the river they had been… well, Ryuuzaki had been trying to get to all night. As humiliating as it was, Light had slept through the whole journey.

The teenager turned his attention to the black-haired Nekomimi and wondered for the first time how the Neko could manage this pace. He looked exactly like he did when they met! Light frowned. How was that even possible after…

"How long have those Wyvern things been on your tail?" The look Ryuuzaki gave him was unreadable, but Light accurately guessed that he was debating whether it was safe to disclose any information.

"Around a week they have managed to stay this close. I thought I had lost them for a bit, but apparently I was mistaken."

… Probably a week of little – if no – sleep, running for his life and then carrying a full grown adult for the better half of the night. Light rubbed his temples as the concept started to give him a headache; it was just too unbelievable. He smiled brightly as he caught sight of Ryuuzaki watching him.

"You sure you don't need a rest?" Light asked considerately, though it was really the Neko making the decisions thus far. Ryuuzaki's thumb teased his lower lip as he considered the question.

"No, I do not," L replied, "and Light-kun most certainly does not." Light flushed in embarrassment. If nothing else, his own mind would never let him live it down. L turned his attention to the sluggishly flowing water as they reached the riverbank. The fact that his ears had flattened at the sight of it was not lost to the young brunette.

The cat man stepped ankle deep into the water and began walking upstream, indicating that the brunette should follow suit. Light paused to roll up his pants, but opted to leave his shoes since they were already soaked and the river bottom looked rocky. The teen hesitated for a second, but eventually followed, wondering what on earth this accomplished as the icy water numbed his feet.

"Our scent will not cling to our surroundings when in flowing water, and the wind will confuse what odor we leave in the air." L explained as though reading his mind. Light nodded in understanding and fixed the pleasant expression to his face. It was actually getting kind of annoying having his thoughts predicted every two seconds.

The two wandered upstream for almost an hour before the Neko seemed content with their precautions and decided to cross. The river was faster at this point, but it would be lower than waist level, making it easier overall. Light groaned mentally as the Neko turned to head across the stream. He was already freezing despite the sunny day. Keeping his complaints to himself, Light forged his way through the strong current to get to the other side. He felt a brief moment of satisfaction as he noticed the bushed up state of Ryuuzaki's tail, meaning that he was just as cold as the young man following him.

"Cold?" Naomi teased lightly. Light scowled at her, trying to ignore the itchy chafing of his wet pants as he walked.

"Where are we going anyway?" Light asked.

"I am meeting someone." L said and refused to elaborate when pressed. "Naomi-san, look around for a bit." Naomi glared at him but relinquished her perch on the brunettes shoulder and scurried out of sight. L said nothing to the teenager's questioning look. "Sayu," L called in a conversational tone, "I know you are watching." A young girl suddenly pranced out of the bushes, a glowing smile gracing her features. It turned to a mock pout.

"You always take the fun out of everything."

"I need to see Near." L said. He was not in the mood for conversation. Sayu sighed.

"Alright, alright…" Light watched in amazement as the peppy girl disappeared into a nearby tree, the roots suddenly growing into the air and intertwining to form a doorway. The princesses eyed the dark tunnel dubiously. He did not like the idea of being confined underground again.

"Are we really going underground again?" Light whined.

"No," L deadpanned, "I just wanted to look at it." 'It,' meaning the tunnel. Light scowled.

"You think you're really funny, don't you?" The brunette snapped, wanting to wipe that overly naïve expression off of the Neko's face.

"Light-kun is mistaken," Ryuuzaki countered, "I have no sense of humor." Light sniffed condescendingly and tossed his head. He straightened and strutted his way into the burrow. It was beneath him to comment on something so childish.

L shoved his hands into his pockets and trailed along behind the disgruntled teenager, smiling absently to himself as he went.

--

Author's Note: (I so did not intend this A/N to be so long… D: ) So I might be slowing down updates on this for a while. Why? One: I have to further develop the ideas for it instead of throwing the chapters out there as soon as I give them a quick read for typos. XD For example, I could've SO developed that bath scene in chapter three a bit more (I still might, I see no reason not to edit things even if they have been posted for a while). Two: my other story is being sadly neglected and I feel bad for ignoring it when a few other people like it too. Three: I have very limited time considering I often work six days a week (8.5 hours a day), which isn't too bad because I think/visualize/memorize sentences in my head on my break and then write them when I get home, so thus far it hasn't been getting in the way too much – it's the fact that I'll be starting the above two that could affect things. Four: I keep getting colds every couple of weeks because I get up at six for work, then stay up too late writing (because I am not very good at listening when my body starts complaining for sleep xP) – over all just not giving my body a chance to recover, and colds tend to mess with my thinking-ness. XD I could go on, but I don't think any of this is too relevant.

Btw, the storyline isn't much of a surprise if you read lots of fantasy novels. I don't bother with very original SLs when I'm more concerned with the characters. Plot always tends to take a backseat to character development in my stories (which so far has worked out quite nicely for me, so I see no need to change it now). lol, I'd say this chapter turned out pretty good considering I had/have the shrill voice of my little sister cutting into my brain every ten seconds because of her karaoke machine. XP

Yeah, I know Light should have made a bigger fuss over the whole piggyback thing. I got lazy and didn't want to write the argument. I'll fix it later since I intend to do a giant overhaul on the entire story when it's finished (based on suggestions and such). Right now I'm blaming his… non-stubbornness… on sleep-deprivation.