A/N: Sorry (again) about the long wait and when I updated, then deleted...heh. Okay, read, review, and enjoy!
"Rem," L repeated softly.
His eyes narrowed as he examined the strange being standing before them. No trace of shock appeared on his face, as if he'd seen the creature before. As if they were old friends. Light bit his lip, suddenly realizing a troubling thought; he was more dumbfounded by L's reaction than the creature's appearance. It was as if he, too, knew the monster. Or at least expected it.
Rem raised it's solemn eye, meeting Light's gaze. "Have these visions struck your memory at all, Yagami Light?" Light shook his head. Rem turned it's eye to Lawliet. "How about you, Lawliet?"
"They are our memories? But that's impossible; these visions travel back to the beginning of man. Unless...Are you hinting reincarnation exists? That these are men we've been reincarnated from? And since you're showing us our past lives, our bodies must be dead. Our bodies became our prison, trapping us from the knowledge we'd apprehended in the past. Yes, that makes perfect sense."
Light sighed. "If Lawliet is correct, is this the end of the line? Is that why you're showin' us our past lives?"
"You two are getting yourselves worked up over nothing. You're bodies are not dead. You're not dead, either. However, I've brought you here to show you what you were. And what you can become."
Rem began to unravel the bandage from it's eye. The cloth crumpled to the floor and a gaping, black void gazed at them. Light tried to step back, only to find the void seemed to paralyze him. His strength wavered. Lawliet suddenly collapsed to his knees. His mouth gaped open and he spurted out a few groans. Light desperately tried to call out to him, but his tongue froze solid to the bottom of his mouth. His knees weakened. Suddenly, he was besides Lawliet.
A strange chill erupted from his core. It swirled through his body, seeping through his veins and skin. It was as if something was tearing him up from the inside, gnawing it's way through his body. A cry suddenly escaped his lips. Everything went dark. His senses failed him, except his hearing. Rem spoke softly as the hole burned through Light's body.
"You two are united by one factor: Me."
Light's body suddenly vanished. Lawliet no longer knelt next to him. In fact, Light and Lawliet no longer existed. They gazed at the odd, desolate world in front of them through Rem's eyes. It glanced around. Strange creatures walked around it, laughing and sneering amongst themselves. One of the Shinigami walked lazily toward Rem. A giant smile was plastered on it's face.
"Their playing with the new humans again."
Rem sighed softly. The dawn of man was nothing more than entertainment for the Shinigami's. Before it was necessary to absorb a human's lifeline to survive, humans were just there for Shinigami's and other god's pleasures. Rem headed towards a portal and glanced down. It wrinkled it's nose as one man's club tore the head off another man. The Shinigami's surrounding Rem laughed ferociously. Just play things.
A strange wave of sympathy simmered in Rem's stomach. The fact that human's only purpose was to serve as entertainment nauseated Rem. Of course humans were not on the same level as gods, but no creature deserved such torment. No creature deserved such a disgusting purpose. Rem knew what he had to do.
"Ryuk, I'm going to help the humans."
"Why?"
"Because I can. Will you help me?"
Ryuk snickered. "Now why would I do that?"
"What else do you have to do? Sit around and watch human's fight all day? Do you know what will happen in the next fight? One of them will die and blood will be shed. See, you don't need to watch because I just told you. Now, will you help me or not?"
"Alright, alright, you have my attention. What do you want me to do?"
Rem stood in front of a wall, carving an life preservation incantation into the rocks. Ryuk crouched on the cliff above Rem; it's red eyes glistened in the Earth's fiery sun. It waited until Rem finally glanced up and nodded. It pulled a vile it'd stolen from it's pocket and popped the lid open. Ryuk turned the bottle bottoms up and watched as the single drop of water rolled down and sailed down the cliff. As soon as it touched the earth below, right by Rem's feet, water spurted from the wall. A smile quivered on Rem's lips, but faded almost instantly.
The gods considered their actions treachery. Human's didn't deserve such a luxurious gift. Second chances didn't exist for them. The incantation Rem preformed was impossible to erase, but there were ways to manipulate it. Using their knowledge of human nature, the gods created another spell that stopped the fountain if blood was shed for it. And when that happened, the dry fountain would imprison Ryuk.
But Rem received the worst punishment of all. Since itwas the only Shinigami capable of destroying the gods' new spell, it would be trapped in two humans. The only way both Rem and Ryuk would receive their freedom, and the fountain would return to it's former glory, would be if the two human's united together and listened to the clues and instincts Rem provided them.
The gods considered this result impossible, though. The only time one man would feel complete was around another, which created a certain need that completely turned against human nature.
Light Yagami proved them wrong though because he did the impossible; he accepted he was incomplete without another man.
"Good-bye," Rem's distant voice spoke. "And thank you."
Light surfaced from the shallow pool, gasping for air. Lawliet immediately followed. Beads of water dripped down his nose as he panted, starring intensely at the water's surface. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Light touched his chest. The same feeling he had the first time Lawliet's lips brushed against his erupted in his body; wholeness. Rem's trap caused him, Lawliet, and all those before them, to suffer. But the curse, or whatever it was, finally broke.
Unsure what to say after the discovery, Light climbed from the pool and peeled his shirt off. The sun's burning rays immediately dried his chest. Lawliet immediately followed without uttering a word. They sat in silence, scorching in the unbearable heat. Light ran his swollen fingers through his hair as Lawliet pulled his shirt off. The bandages wrapped around his chest were soaked with water and blood. He began to unravel the bandages and froze as soon as he saw his wound-or lack there of. Only a scar remained.
"Law-Lawli," Light muttered, gazing in awe at the miracle. "Rem said the fountain cured ailments, but I didn't realize it'd heal you completely."
Ignoring Light's shock, Lawliet simply asked, "What day is it?"
"What?"
"What day is it?"
Light shrugged, "June 2nd, why?"
"I'm supposed to die today," Lawliet murmured. His gloom-full expression was suddenly replaced by a small smile. "But how could I even trust Beyond's words? He's nothing but a liar."
"How do y'all know each other? You and Beyond?"
Before Lawliet could answer, a strange shadow bubbled at the bottom of the pool. Instinctively, Light grabbed Lawliet's arm and backed away from the boiling water. Without warning, a creature suddenly rose. It's menacing grin revealed his sharp teeth, which gleamed in the sun. Light trembled, unable to speak. It was one thing to see the creature, who Light assumed was Ryuk, in his dreams and another to meet it in realty.
Ryuk's large wings spread as it stretched it's wings above it's head. It let out a satisfied moan and suddenly said, "You would think there would be enough room in that giant wall so I could lie down and get comfortable. But instead I've spent thousands of years curled up in a ball. Huh, before I was imprisoned, this place was a lot greener..."
As if it finally noticed Light's and Lawliet's presence, it turned it's head towards them and cackled softly. "So, you two must be the reason for my freedom. Yeah, I remember your face," it pointed at Light. "So you must have been Rem's body." Ryuk's eyes fell on Lawliet next. "And you must be it's mind. Yeah, you look like you haven't slept in years. It must feel good to finally have all the gaps filled."
Lawliet gazed at Ryuk; a hint of awe glistened in his eyes. "Are you saying the thing I've been missing my entire life is my body, and Light's been without his mind?"
The concept sounded preposterous. Lawliet's had a body since Light knew him and, as far as Light could tell, he had a properly functioning mind-not counting the temporary insanity. "I understand," Light spoke before Ryuk could answer Lawliet. "It's more that my mind wasn't complete, just as your body wasn't. It sorta explains my temporary insanity and your strange disease. But when we were together..."
"You reverted back to normal humans," Ryuk chuckled. "Men don't like relying solely on another to be complete. I think it's some crazy human complex."
"So those men all betrayed each other because they couldn't stand feeling whole?" Lawliet's face contorted as he tried to make logical sense out of the idea. "I would think someone would want to be around another if they felt complete, not want to destroy him."
Lawliet's hypocrisy almost shocked Light. A few weeks ago, Lawliet was more than willing to have Light killed. But, he held his tongue in fear of an argument or, worse, another, darker truth. Lawliet continued his speech, trying to make sense out of the senseless. After a few minutes, Ryuk sighed abruptly, obviously bored.
"Well, this is where I tell you that your destinies are to protect the fountain and make sure it brings the world peace and harmony," it rolled it's eyes at it's own words. "And-if you don't, your hard work and Rem's effort for thousands and thousands of years was purely trivial and I was cradled in a rock for completely no reason. So, don't let our efforts go to waste. Bye now. If you need Rem or I, you can always call us. But I probably won't come."
It cackled deeply at the last statement and started to beat it's wings. The wind from it's wings carried dust, stinging Light's cheeks as it flew past him. Ryuk lifted in the air, glancing at the boys one last time before taking off, flying upwards towards the blue, cloudless sky.
"This has got to be the strangest day of my life," Light muttered as Ryuk faded into a small, black dot. He glanced at Lawliet, who was studying his scar again. "So, Lawli, what do you propose we do now?"
"We'll deal with this later. First, we take down Beyond."