Welcome back to chapter five! This one required so much editing that my brain practically just melted, but I'm still unsatisfied with it. Although, I think the paper cut/bullet wound analogy is one of my favorite things in this whole story. Anyways, just for those of you who are curious, this story will earn its M rating in chapter eight. And after chapter eight, it really earns the rating, so be ready for that. Also, there are some graphic descriptions of gore in this chapter—so be warned!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 5: Night Whispers

Beyond Birthday stood on the fire escape outside room 207 at General Cross Hospital. It was dark out, making it hard to see much of anything but what was illuminated by the dull glow of the machines attached to the Yagami boy. Grinning, Beyond tried to open the window. Of course, it was locked in a way that it could be opened neither by someone on the outside nor inside. He'd heard the stories about the patient who'd committed suicide by jumping out the window here years ago; that must have been where the extra security came from. No matter. Beyond pulled out his favored knife and slid it underneath the window, popping the glued latch. The window slid open creakily.

Beyond slipped into the room and propped the window open with the blade of his knife. Then he moved further into the room to observe Light Yagami. Beyond grinned, eyes falling upon the detective currently grasping onto the younger man as if he were a lifeline. L was practically restraining the Yagami boy with his body, pinning him to the bed. Arms and legs both pressed into him as hard as he could in his unconscious state. Shaking his head with a knowing smile, Beyond rested his shoulder bag on the nearby table, then moved to sit lightly on the edge of the bed. Light was barely visible beneath the older detective, much to Beyond's irritation.

"Look at you," he murmured, carefully reaching out to run two fingers over the exposed flesh of Light's neck. "I go through all of the trouble of coming here just to find you in bed with another man. How… impolite."

Light shifted slightly in his sleep at the contact, turning his head against L's shoulder.

Beyond leaned over the sleeping pair, gazing intently at the amber-haired teen he'd become so interested in. Yes, Beyond thought, if there were ever a divine being, then this would be his appearance. The greatest masters of the written word have painted perfection as a man with hair the color of an angel's wing, and eyes made of irradiated topaz. But you, even in this imperfect, memory-less state, have proved them all wrong in this single moment. "You have no idea, do you?" he murmured, reaching out to tug gently on a lock of the teen's amber hair. It even felt like silk, Beyond reflected. "You have no idea what's going to happen to you, you poor thing…" For as Beyond knew from observing the world's greatest detective during his time at Wammy's House, L's love hurt. No, it burned. "He's selfish," Beyond muttered, moving his spindly fingers down to caress that perfect jawline. "He'll say he loves you, but it's not love. There's a fine line between love and obsession, compassion and dependency. He'll play jump rope with that line, just you wait! Back, and forth, back, and forth, back, and forth…"

He trailed off as Light let out a little groan, no doubt disturbed by the noise. The teen shifted, and despite L's death grip, managed to roll at least part-way onto his side, his face now tilted towards Beyond.

Beyond hesitated, eyes raking down that face, the physical embodiment of perfection. No—not perfection, not yet—not until he had his memories. This was not Kira, he reminded himself. This was Light. And beautiful though he was, he wasn't a murderer just yet.

"All in good time," he whispered to the sleeping teen. "I'll save you from L when the time is right, but not before." He backed away from the bed one step at a time. He was just about to turn for the window when he happened to glance back at Light. "Oh," he spoke out, eyes still resting on the teen. "Don't give me that face, I'll be back soon! You see, it just won't be fun if I take you away now! Where's the dramatic flair, the angst, the… the style?" He took one step closer to the hospital bed, though every fiber of his being was screaming at him to leave before one of them happened to wake up. L had always been a light sleeper; Beyond was surprised he hadn't stirred yet. "Look, I'll make you a deal. You only have to stick around until you make L fall completely in love with you. Then I'll save you. Deal?"

Light, of course, did not respond.

"Why wait, you ask?" Beyond went on, determined to carry on the conversation. "Well, let me explain it this way: what happens when you give yourself a paper cut?"

No answer.

"You don't know? Well, you bleed, of course! Bright, colorful blood! And that blood keeps dripping for a while, stopping when you pick up a tissue and apply a little pressure. And then you stick a band-aid on it. It takes a few days, but eventually the pain fades away, and you forget that you even got that paper cut. You peel the band-aid away and get rid of it. The cut hurt while it lasted, of course, but no one can remember each and every one they've ever received. In fact, I bet you'd be hard pressed to remember even one paper cut you've had." Beyond chuckled softly. "Now, what happens when you get shot? Well, I'll tell you: you bleed, and bleed, and bleed, and you can try to stop it with a cloth and some pressure, but it's not just going to stop bleeding after a few minutes like a paper cut. You have to keep pressure on it for a long, long time if you're going to save yourself—and then you have to get to a phone and call an ambulance, because a gunshot isn't something you can just walk off. Even if the bullet is removed, the wound sewn shut, and the bleeding halted, that bullet wound isn't going to go away after a few days. You can't just stick a band-aid on it and wait it out. You have to change the dressing, clean the wound, have the stitches removed when the time comes. And even then, even if you survive all that, a scar remains. And that scar is never going to heal, no matter what. Because that's what scars do—they scar!" The murderer clapped his hands together softly in glee. "Now, you might want to know—Beyond, what does that have to do with anything? And I'll tell you!"

Beyond continued stepping forward until he was back where he'd started, leaning over Light.

"Right now, you're a paper cut, and L is the person you've hurt. If I take you right now, then he'll heal with almost no problem at all. But if I wait for your little relationship to grow, then…" he leaned closer, whispering in Light's ear. "…Then when I take you away, L is going to bleed. And you, Light Yagami, will have turned what could have been a scratch into a bullet through the head." He grinned, leaning back. "Understand?"

Light's only reaction was a slight murmur in response to whatever dream he was currently submersed in.

"Now, I'll see you after your great confession to L!" He whirled around and headed back for the window.

Light murmured again, and Beyond paused.

"Hmm? Well, if you insist…" Beyond turned back and stepped back to Light's bedside. He leaned down slowly. And just as his lips were about to brush those of the sleeping teen's…

The door's hinges squeaked suddenly as someone opened it.

Beyond drew away as if he'd been shocked, jumping as he turned to face whoever was in the doorway.

"Hey!" a voice hissed, too soft to wake the room's sleeping occupants. "Who the hell are you? No one but the dark-haired guy is allowed in this room!"

Beyond's eyes narrowed as the figure stepped into the moonlight. "Oh," he growled, gaze raking up and down the security guard. He must have heard him talking to Light, and decided to come in to see what was wrong.

"Come on, son, you need to leave." The guard moved towards him determinedly, a hand reaching out to grab onto his arm.

Oh no, that human scum was not touching him! Beyond shot a hand out, grabbing the guard's wrist before his hand could make contact.

"Hey, just what're you—"

"Poor, poor security guard," Beyond sighed. "They don't pay you enough for this, do they?"

"What—?"

Beyond reached for his belt and withdrew his second knife.

The guard froze, as if he'd never actually been in a dangerous situation before. His eyes darted back and forth between Beyond and the knife. He sputtered, "Hey, now, just put down the knife, and—"

Beyond sighed, flipping the knife in the air once, twice. This man was truly an idiot—there was a gun hooked to his belt, and yet he cowered before a knife. "Oh dear," he whispered to himself. "I really wish you hadn't opened that door."

The guard opened his mouth, presumably to scream. But by the time his lips were so much as parted by an inch, Beyond's hand was sealed across his mouth, and his knife was at his throat.

†††

When I awoke, the first thing I saw was black. All encompassing, all around me—or at least, all around my eyes. Frowning, I attempted to raise one hand to brush away the darkness, only to find it trapped. I blew, and the dark hair taking up my vision parted just enough for me to realize what—or who—was keeping me pinned.

L, of course, was sprawled out over me. I wasn't sure when he had gone from laying beside me to completely engulfing me, but it wasn't altogether unpleasant. I supposed that seeing how he had reacted to my near-death experience had softened my feelings towards the detective. Perhaps he wasn't as heartless as I'd previously imagined. Shifting, I noticed that L's arms had come up to wrap around my chest, his legs locked on either side of me. His hair was the darkness staining my vision—the top of his head was pressed under my chin in a tight embrace.

It was then that I became aware of what had awoken me.

"Light! Hey, are you paying attention? Light, buddy, come on!"

Matsuda. The lovable idiot was holding a box in his hands, carefully averting his eyes as a blush spread across his face. "Um," he said nervously, "Chief sent me with this… he thought that Ryuzaki might be hungry after so many days not eating…"

I briefly wondered what he was so nervous about when I realized that the position he had found me and L in wasn't exactly innocent. I struggled immediately to free myself, but L wasn't budging, and apparently all those sleepless nights were finally catching up to him, because he didn't show any signs of waking up. "Matsuda," I greeted. "I apologize, but I can't currently move."

"Ah, right. I'll just put this here and…" he backed away.

"No, wait! Please, Matsuda, can you tell me what's been going on at headquarters? What's been happening with Beyond and the third Kira?"

He paused, shifting his weight between legs. "Well, the regular murders are still being committed weekly, but we haven't been able to make anything of them. Without L we don't stand much of a chance."

That's right… I'd already nearly forgotten that L had refused to help with the case after I'd been hospitalized. "I'm sure L can read more into the murders once he's back to normal."

"Yeah," the older detective agreed. His eyes flickered to watch his shoes. "He was really shaken up over this," he muttered. "Like, scary shaken up. When he came out of the elevator carrying you, he was totally terrified. It was kinda strange, you know? Seeing him like that."

"He carried me?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. How else was he supposed to get you to the ambulance?"

"Ambulance?"

"I t-told you," Matsuda stuttered, clearly uncomfortable. "You were bad."

An awkward silence ensued.

My thoughts were in overdrive. The picture of my illness was becoming clearer and clearer—and while on one hand I was thankful to L for taking care of me, I wasn't an idiot. It was beyond clear, even to me, that L had waited too long to give in and bring me to the hospital. Had it been even a few hours later, I had no doubt that I wouldn't have survived.

Matsuda cleared his throat, and I remembered suddenly that he was still there. I said, "You can go if you want, Matsuda. You're clearly uncomfortable with this situation."

He nodded immediately. "Yes, of course! Thank you, Light!" Relief stained his voice as he backed away as swiftly as he could without appearing rude. His footsteps faded as he took off running, trying to get as far away as possible from the odd scene. I didn't even want to think about the rumors that would be flying around in the task force when we returned. More importantly, I didn't want to consider what my father would think of such things. It wouldn't be pretty.

My attention was suddenly drawn to L as he began shifting slightly. His obsidian eyes opened slowly, blinking up at me as he regained consciousness. "Light…" he murmured hazily. "Are you real?"

"Yes. At least, I believe so."

He hummed contentedly. "Good. You're warm." He held me tighter. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"So am I. Though everyone says I came close."

That seemed to wake him up more. He pulled back, his eyes locking momentarily onto mine. Then he frowned. "I would have thought you'd be more agitated, seeing as our current situation is less than dignified."

I supposed that I should have been horrified, maybe pushed him off the bed. But I just shrugged. "I don't know, when you nearly die it puts a lot of things into perspective. For example, waking up to your hair smothering me."

He smiled. Not one of those polite smiles I'd seen, but a real, genuine smile. It made my chest blossom with warmth. "Sorry about that, Light. But to be fair, you were the one who insisted that we share the bed."

"Well, next time I'll make you sleep in the chair. Deal?"

Another smile. Then he frowned suddenly, as if remembering that he was lying in bed with his primary Kira suspect. He pushed himself up and off, standing firmly on the ground. "As pleasant as that was, I should probably speak to the nurses about checking you out of this place. I know that they wanted to keep you for a few more days, but you seem perfectly healthy, your fever is down completely, and judging by the sounds your stomach was making a few moments ago, your appetite has returned in full. Am I correct?"

"Yes, it is." Now that he mentioned it, I was getting hungry. "Oh, by the way, Matsuda brought you some cake. At least, I assume it's cake. The airhead didn't actually say what it was. He misses you being on the force, you know. He didn't actually say it, but you can read that guy like an open book."

L nodded thoughtfully, rising and moving to the table that held the box of cake. "I suppose I've allowed my emotions to control my actions on this case for long enough. It's time to get back to work." He opened the lid to the box and stared inside. Then he snatched a fork off the table and sat back down. "Well… perhaps it can wait until I finish this cake. Would you like some?" He removed two paper plates.

"No, you know how I feel about sweets."

L shrugged, forsaking the plates entirely, and began eating directly out of the box. I leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, still pondering my near-death experience. I stretched one hand up without thinking, raising it as high as I could as if I were attempting to touch the ceiling.

"Hey L," I said suddenly, "Who was that kid that came in here?"

He paused. "Kid?"

"Yeah. I thought I saw a kid in here, about two nights ago."

"Two nights?" He looked suddenly troubled, as if that night held some terrible occurrence.

"Yeah. I thought I saw a little kid in here, standing at my bedside. Didn't you see him? You were right there next to me."

"I do not recall such a being. What did this child look like?"

"Oh, I… I don't know," I realized. Despite the fact that I remembered seeing him quite clearly, I couldn't recall any particular detail. "He was short, I guess. He must have been about five, or maybe six."

"It doesn't sound like anyone I saw around the hospital. And besides, if that was two nights ago, then it's probably nothing."

"Why?" I asked. "What happened two nights ago?"

L placed his fork on the table, looking as if he'd tasted something sour. "Two nights ago was the time when I was certain that you were going to die. It was when you were at your sickest, and your heartbeat was the most irregular. If you saw anything during that time, it was most likely a hallucination driven by the fever."

"A hallucination?" I murmured.

"Yes, Light. Nothing more, nothing less."

I frowned deeply, lowering my arm, which had begun to go numb. Strange… though I couldn't remember him specifically, I was certain that I'd seen him. He'd said something, something important. What was it…? I hissed angrily, rubbing my eyes as if they were at fault for not being able to recall the kid's appearance or the words he'd spoken. All I could really remember was that he was young, and that he'd appeared from nowhere. And after he spoke those few words, he just vanished—and then my entire body was hit with a wave of heat that swiftly melted into coolness, and I felt relief for the first time in days. I didn't know why, but I had a strange feeling about that child.

L was still sitting in silence, his cake abandoned. "Please forget about it," he urged. "Nothing good will come of worrying over lingering illusions."

"You're right," I responded thoughtlessly, my mind still on the child.

L got to his feet. "I find that I am no longer hungry. I will go attempt to check you out of this place. Will you be okay here alone?"

I nodded, and the next moment the door was swinging shut, and L was gone.

The moment he was gone I let out a huge sigh, running my hands through my hair. I could hardly believe that he was acting so caring after being so harsh just a few days before. He feels guilty, I reasoned. He feels guilty and he needs a way to make himself feel better, so he's being nice to me. It's just like him to do something like that. But despite the logical course my brain was taking, there was still a nagging feeling deep within my chest that told me otherwise.

That's completely ridiculous, I thought. He's done nothing that would suggest he feels anything for me other than friendship. He only slept in the same bed as me because I asked him to, and to refuse would have made him feel even guiltier. His mind doesn't work like normal people's—he's completely logical and unemotional.

That wasn't exactly true, however. He had shown more than enough emotion in the past week, and with a chill, I realized that all of it had been reflected upon me. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

And if L… did happen feel something for me, then would I really be okay with it? I had to admit, my feelings towards him had softened considerably after his obvious distress over my illness. He'd cared for me, and for that I was thankful. But to have a relationship of any kind with the man would only end poorly. He would solve the Kira case and leave, and I would never see him again. So it was pointless to dwindle on what could have been, and what I may or may not have wanted to happen.

I pushed myself into a sitting position and swung my feet over the side of the bed. The IV was still in the back of my hand, the bag attached to a pole-like mechanism. I swiftly reached up to release the lock on the mechanism's wheels, then got to my feet unsteadily. I shuddered as a wave of dizziness swept over me—it had been many days since I was last on my feet. But after a moment of rest, I managed to stand and make my way towards the bathroom, rolling the mechanism beside me. It had been too long since I'd had a shower, and while I may not have been allowed to take one just yet, I still wanted to wash my face and comb out my hair. I had to pause for a moment at the door as another pang of dizziness settled over me, but a heartbeat later my head stopped spinning and I reached for the door.

The instant my fingers touched the doorknob, I knew something was wrong. I wasn't quite sure how, but as my fingers came into contact with the cool metal, a pang of uneasiness coursed through me. I frowned, shaking my head in an attempt to clear way the strange feeling, slowly turning the doorknob. For just a moment I hesitated—and in that moment, I realized that a metallic scent was lingering around the door. I frowned, unable to identify the scent. I took a deeper breath, growing slightly nearer to the door, but as the scent of copper grew stronger, I was still unable to identify what was producing such a stench. I placed my palm on the door and looked the door up and down.

There was something on the ground, barely visible from the crack between the door and the floor. I knelt slowly, mindful of my weakened state, and eyed the substance leaking from the door. I reached two fingers down to the stuff and dabbed at it gingerly. I immediately raised my hand to the light and studied the substance.

It… it was red. Red and glistening, staining a few inches of the tiled floor of the hospital room before vanishing into the bathroom. My stomach churned uneasily as the metallic scent became stronger, and my mind final registered just what was dripping from under the door.

Blood.

I nearly gagged as I realized what that metallic scent was, my stomach churning as the intrusive scent grew ten times stronger just with the realization of its source. My eyes flitted upwards to stare at the bathroom door, my gut telling me that something terrible was waiting for me beyond the white-painted wood. The cloying scent clung to my skin, my hair, my clothing. I knew then, just as I had known the moment my hand touched the doorknob, that something terrible was behind that door. I got shakily to my feet and pondered whether or not I should open it, and whether or not I should wait for L.

I can't wait, I thought. I have to open the door and see what's behind it. The sooner I know, the sooner I can call the police, and the sooner they can start an investigation.

I reached out hesitantly, still-bloody fingers grasping the doorknob once more. I turned it, wincing at the rusty shriek of metal on metal, a sound that had no business being in a hospital. The door opened with a click, and immediately I was hit with another scent—strawberry, like the scent of some sort of jam. It was almost as bad as the blood. I pushed the door inwards without moving my feet, letting the thing swing inwards until I heard a soft thunk as it pressed against the bathroom counter. Then I looked, slowly, into the dim light of the bathroom, and—

My non-bloodied hand flew to my mouth to block the vomit I felt bubbling in the back of my throat. My eyes watered at the force of the stench emanating from the bathroom. I had the sudden realization that I should have waited for L.

The bathroom was a mess—and not in a normal way. I barely knew where to begin to describe the scene before me. The best way to describe it, I thought, would be something along the lines of someone using a meat grinder on a human and flinging the remains around the room.

The ceiling was what first caught my attention. Blood dripped steadily from the panels, the scarlet liquid splattered everywhere like watery paint. The stuff dripped from the ceiling to the walls, leaving red tracks all the way to the floor, where the stuff pooled in sickening puddles. I wanted to look away, but I had frozen in the doorway, eyes glued to the gory sight. The next thing I saw was the sink—someone had wound what I could only assume to be part of the small intestine around the faucet, piling the rest into the sink sloppily to join several other unidentifiable lumps of flesh. The red contrasted horribly against the white marble, and I wondered briefly if they would have to replace the sink due to staining. Almost against my will, my eyes found the shower, the curtain of which was thrown open. It was blood-spattered, just like the rest of the place. But that wasn't the main attraction—whoever did this had removed several of the victim's organs and tied them to curtain rod with fishing line. They looked almost like morbid Christmas ornaments, swinging lightly in the breeze from the open window. I tore my eyes away from the shower, and they fell instinctually upon the floor. And it was there that I saw the victim—or at least, what was left of him.

He had been carefully arranged with his arms above his head, his legs bent, and I knew that this wasn't a mindless murder, that someone had put thought into how they were going to do this. He had been completely flayed open, from the base of the neck to the waist, and he'd been almost entirely emptied of all his organs save for his heart, which rolled loosely in his chest cavity. And there, beside his head, in the only moderately bloodless spot in the entire room, a single word was written.

Light.

It was my name. And beside it lay a bloodstained piece of paper that I didn't even want to get near.

I became convinced for a moment that I was going to throw up. I was so stunned that I barely heard the door open. "Light?" a familiar voice called into the room, footsteps echoing slightly as the person moved towards me. "What's wrong? Why are you up?"

I couldn't respond. L was getting closer, but I knew he couldn't see into the bathroom until he was nearly beside me. I stumbled backwards, and I knew immediately that this time I really was going to be sick, so I turned on heel and barely managed to make it to the nearest trashcan before I threw up.

"Light!" L gasped, horror in his voice. "Are you sick again? Do you feel warm?"

I shook my head and motioned to the bathroom. "Look," I rasped. It was the only word I could manage.

L headed for the bathroom with a frown. When I saw his entire body tense up, I knew that he'd seen it. I heard a slight rustle, and I could only assume that he'd picked up the note resting beside the victim's head. L exited the bathroom after just a few seconds, and was at my side just a few seconds after that. I felt his hand come to rest on my back, and I rasped, "H-how are you not sick?"

"I've been in this business for a long time," he murmured. "And I've dealt with Beyond before."

"B-Beyond?" I echoed shakily. "You're saying that the murderer was him?"

"He has a signature style," L murmured in response. I dared to glance back at him, and was relived to see that he had strategically blocked my view of the bathroom with his own body. "You mustn't think about that room," he urged gently. "We need to get you out of here, and we need to get you out of here now." One hand shot out, gently tilting my head to look at him once more. "Listen to me, Light. You are in danger here; I believe you are being targeted. We must leave. Do you think you can stand?"

I forced out a nod, getting to my feet unsteadily. "W-why do you think he's targeting me?"

L smoothly hooked one of my arms over his shoulder, telling me, "Beyond has always left clues in his crime scenes, and they always lead to his next target. And I think that your name written in blood qualifies as a clue, don't you?"

I nodded once more, breathless.

"And… there's more, besides that." He held up the note. "This note more than says it all."

I reached for it, but L pushed my hand away gently.

"No, Light," he said. "I don't want you to read it—you've been through enough today."

"W-what does it say?" I stuttered.

"Beyond has declared, in short, that he knows about the affection we share, and that he will take you away to hurt me."

"Affection?" I echoed. "Is there really—?"

"Now isn't the time for such talk, Light." L's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "He seemed to have a peculiar interest in you when I spoke to him, and now he pulls something like this…" He tugged me faster for the door. He opened it and ushered me into the hallway, making sure to support me the whole way so I wouldn't fall as a result of my shaky legs. "The hospital personnel wanted to do one last check and remove your IV, but there's no time." It was then that I realized that my IV had ben removed. I'd been so stunned that I hadn't noticed the pinch as L withdrew it from the back of my hand. "I'll have Watari call the hospital and set up a quarantine of this area until a team of my investigators can take a look. I'll have to check the security footage as well."

I stared up at him, cursing my weak state. He was so calm, and I was so shaken. I remembered dimly that my lifelong dream was to become a detective, and I wondered, if I'd gone through with it, if I would have ended up like L. Unmoved by the most grizzly of murders.

He seemed to pick up on my train of thought, for he murmured, "No, Light. No, you are not weak for reacting this way. I had much the same response when I first saw a scene such as that. You cannot compare your few years of experience to my lifetime."

Words failed me as L led me into the elevator and pressed the button that would take us to the parking garage. He reached up a hand and ruffled my hair. "It's okay," he assured me, though I could tell he didn't believe a word of it. "We'll figure this out."

I wanted to trust him. I truly did. But leaning against the wall of the elevator, staring up at him, I wasn't sure that I could make myself believe.

†††

Not an hour later, I was back in task force headquarters. The instant I'd been lead into HQ the task force was all over me, demanding to know how I was and if I was feeling better. I'd attempted to answer their questions, but L had quickly deterred them by saying just one thing:

"Light is in danger."

That froze them in their tracks. Soichiro looked especially alarmed, his eyes wide. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded angrily. "If he's in danger, why isn't he back at the hospital?"

"Because the hospital cannot help him with this." He spun my normal chair to face the task force and sat me down in it. "Beyond has targeted Light."

A chorus of gasps sounded. "But why?" Mogi asked. "What's he got against Light?"

L cleared his throat uncomfortably. "There has been a murder. Evidently, Beyond snuck into Light's hospital room last night and butchered one of the security guards. I will spare you the gory details. All you need to know is that Beyond left me a message that makes me believe that he will be attempting to take Light away. He believes that because we have become friends, taking him from me will cause me great pain."

The members of the task force shuddered at the thought of being subjected to such a fate.

"Beyond will do anything to achieve his goal," L went on. "It falls to us to protect Light now, and to catch Beyond before he has a chance to even attempt to take him from us."

"Woah…" Matsuda said. "Well, as long as he's here in HQ Beyond can't get his hands on him, right?"

L snarled. "Not true. The security system is extensive, but there are ways around it. Ways that Beyond will no doubt exploit. He may have already breached the cameras— the cameras!" His eyes went wide.

So that was it! That made sense, I had to admit. If Beyond had seen L taking care of me while I was sick, then it would explain why he believed that we "shared affection," as he'd phrased it. The display hadn't exactly been merely platonic, after all. The thought of him watching as L curled himself around me brought a light blush to my face.

L seemed to share my thought process. "If Beyond has hacked the cameras, then he would have seen me taking care of Light before I took him to the hospital. If that were the case, then he would have drawn the conclusion that we were close, leading him to want to kidnap Light to get to me. But… that doesn't make sense."

"You're right," I said. "If he already thought that we were close, why wouldn't he kidnap me in the hospital? It wouldn't have been hard to knock you over the head so you wouldn't wake up, then drag me away. Why wait, and why leave a message detailing his intentions?"

"I don't know," L admitted. "I just don't know…"

Aizawa asked, "How are we going to protect Light if Beyond could easily hack into the security system? It seems like a lost cause."

"Don't say that!" Soichiro snapped viciously. "We are going to protect my son, and stop this monster! Ryuzaki, what do you propose we do?"

He was silent for a moment, thumb to his lips in concentration. It was obvious, to me at least, that he had no idea what to do.

"I shouldn't go anywhere alone," I said. "It should be a group of three, seeing as Beyond isn't afraid to act upon me when L is there. I think having another member of the team close at all times would make it a lot less likely for Beyond to strike. Secondly, we should have someone monitoring the cameras at all times. Work in shifts if you must, but someone must always be watching, especially at night. Windows should be permanently closed using some sort of powerful adhesive and coded locks, and doors should be left latched. I should avoid going out in public as much as possible." I paused. "Any other suggestions?"

There was a general shake of the head from the team. They seemed surprised—did they think that L was the only one who could come up with a sound strategy?

"Sounds good to me," Mogi said. "But what about sleeping arrangements? I mean, will one of us have to move into your room?"

"No, that won't be necessary," L said bluntly. "Having someone else in the room would be pointless if they are asleep anyways. It would be more logical to have someone on watch the entire night. Though I won't ask you to go through with that particular precaution—Watari watching the cameras in the next room over should suffice."

Briefly I wondered if he didn't want someone else in the room simply because he wanted to smother me again.

"Additionally," he went on, "The security cameras should be checked for signs of being tapped, and a general search should be conducted in case additional cameras have been placed throughout the headquarters. Normally I wouldn't bother, seeing as the cameras are so secure—but this is Beyond, so I wouldn't put anything past him."

"I'll take a look at the cameras," Aizawa said. "Matsuda, you can be the one to follow Light and Ryuzaki."

"Hey, why me?" he protested.

L said shortly, "Seeing as you are the youngest member of the task force aside from Light and myself, you will be the least likely to cause situations that might be deemed awkward. You will be required to move into the room across from ours for safety reasons. You will be monitored by cameras at all times."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I guess… if it means protecting Light… I'll go pack my things."

Satisfied, L turned his head to his monitor, which was displaying a gothic W. "Watari, I need you to watch through the security cameras while I accompany Light to our room. Lock down the building if you see Beyond, or anyone not authorized to be in the building." He looked to me. "Come with me, Light. We will return to our room and make the necessary changes to assure maximum security."

I followed without complaint. We entered the elevator just as Matsuda disappeared around the corner—his room was on ground level. "This is insane," I said after a moment of silence. "I can't believe Beyond chose me of all people."

"This is my fault, I suppose," L murmured. "If I hadn't acted so openly on my emotions, he would never have figured out that we had feelings for each other."

"Figured out?" I echoed. "As in, he was right?"

L fell silent. "Light, after this past week, I have no idea what I feel towards you. All I know is that I don't want you to die. And in order for that to happen, Beyond Birthday cannot take you."

"Well, it would be nice if he didn't get his hands on me. But whatever happens, don't let it get to you, okay? He's only doing this to shake you, and you can't let it work!"

Another brief moment of silence. The elevator doors opened, and we walked out. "If Beyond kidnaps you, I will do what is necessary to retrieve you."

And he left it at that. We moved down the halls without saying another word. It was odd, I thought, how swiftly he had gone from enemy to friend. And I hadn't even been awake for most of it. Though, I did remember flashes. I remembered cool fingers on my forehead, soothing words, and my brief conversations with him. He'd looked agonized during those conversations, as if something was tearing him apart. At the time I'd assumed the case was going poorly. But now I knew that he hadn't had news of the case since I'd fallen ill. Which meant that the pain I'd seen had been directed towards me and my situation.

I didn't know what to do with that information.

L opened the door to his room, ushering me inside. He closed the door gently behind us, saying, "I will implement the fingerprint lock once Matsuda has arrived. Until then, I insist that you lay down. You were just released from the hospital, after all, and they did issue specific instructions that you should be resting for the first day out."

I was more than happy to obey, crashing back against the pillows with a huff. "L," I murmured sleepily. "Handcuffs."

"What?" He was pacing about the room, looking concerned.

"You need to put the handcuffs back on. I'm still… a suspect…" I yawned.

"Light, that is the least of my concerns at the moment." He retrieved the cuffs from the table and moved to sit beside me on the bed. "I still need to move about. I'll cuff you to the bed, if that makes you feel better."

I nodded my approval. L snapped one end of the cuffs to my wrist and the other to the bedpost. I frowned, more than aware of how this would look to Matsuda when he walked in. He'd already caught L practically sleeping on top of me, and this wouldn't help his already growing suspicions. I was too tired to care. My eyelids drooped, but I refused to allow myself to sleep just yet. I wanted to make sure Matsuda got here safely.

I must have dozed off despite my determination not to, for when my eyes opened Matsuda was standing with us in the room. My arm tingled numbly from having the circulation cut off. Sitting up, I alleviated the pressure and began rubbing life back into the deadened arm.

"Welcome back, Light," L said. "I was just discussing the conditions of our arrangement with Matsuda. Care to join in on setting the terms and conditions?"

I rubbed my eyes blearily. "Unchain me from this hunk of wood and I'm more than willing to talk."

L smiled ever so subtly and cuffed me back to him. "We have already moved Matsuda into the next room. It has been determined that he will not be expected to sleep in the same room as us or accompany us into the bathroom or shower. He will, however, wait outside. Other than that, we are still talking it over."

"What else is there to talk about?" I asked. "He just goes everywhere else with us, right?"

"Not exactly." L was chewing on his thumb again. "Will he follow us on late night trips to retrieve cake? Will he go to college with us? He'll hardly be able to pass as a student. And of course, will he accompany us on dates with Misa?"

I blanched. "Good point."

"Now then, shall we continue?"

†††

A few hours later, the conditions had been set. Unfortunately for me, Matsuda would be going everywhere but the bathroom and shower with us. He was even required to go with Misa and me on dates. (I dreaded the moment I'd have to tell her that little detail). Other than that, the door had been locked with a fingerprint scanner that would only recognize L, Matsuda, Watari, and me. The window had been sealed with adhesive, the name of which I hadn't been told, and locked tight. And of course, the most intrusive change had been the addition of the cameras in L's room. Watari would be monitoring them every moment of the day, no matter where we were. Something about this was just… wrong. It felt more than intrusive, being watched every second of the day. As for the cameras around the HQ, they had been deemed perfectly clean and un-hacked. This only made L more persistent in finding out how Beyond had been watching us—for he was completely certain his eyes had been locked on us.

As for Beyond, he had continued with mindless killings, showing no sign of deviating from his pattern. The task force split its attention between Beyond and Yotsuba Corp. Yotsuba's murders, were still taking place in their normal weekly pattern. We had figured out rather swiftly that the third Kira was only interested in helping Yotsuba, which led us all to a simple conclusion—that Kira was a part of Yotsuba Corp. L seemed almost offended at the simplicity of it all, bitterly mumbling about how the new Kira was about as smart as Misa Amane. I had to agree, though I gave the new Kira a bit more credit for at least attempting to hide his intentions. We were getting closer and closer to catching the third Kira, and hopefully revealing how he killed.

And so it came to be that a few days later, I was lying in bed with L, trying to sleep, when he spoke up. "This is useless."

I glanced over at him, surprised to see him shut the lid of his laptop forcefully, rubbing a hand down his face in frustration. "What is it?" I asked carefully. I'd been sensing his growing irritation over the past few days, but had no way to alleviate it.

"No matter how much effort I apply, I seem to be incapable of finding even a clue pertaining to Beyond's location."

I asked, "You got the forensic analysis back on the blood from the murder of that security guard, right? Was there anything that could lead you to him? And you've examined the security footage from the night he murdered the guard, correct? He didn't give anything away?"

"All the security footage for the hospital the night of the murder was deleted long before I tried to get my hands on it, and not even I can get it back," L growled. "And the forensic analysis didn't tell us anything we couldn't have just looked up on our own." He grasped his hair with both hands and tugged. "I can't find anything, and at this rate, Beyond will win."

"We'll figure it out," I told him. "I'm sure that you're more than capable of beating him."

"I'm not sure that I am," he admitted. "I didn't want to say this to you, but I can't recall a time in which I've been this stuck on a case. I think that I may require some assistance."

"Assistance?" I echoed. "Who on earth is smart enough to give you assistance?"

He paused for a long moment, staring at the ceiling. Then he murmured, "I have successors."

"As in, people who want to become you?"

"When I die, yes. Over the years I have become rather close to three of them, and with their above-average intelligence and impressive detective skills, I believe we can catch Beyond before he has a chance to lay a hand on you or any other member of the task force." He glanced over at me, seemingly watching for my reaction. "And remember Beyond's game—if we can catch him, preferably before he gets to you, then he'll give up Kira's power."

"You really believe that?"

"I… I do not know. He has always been unpredictable. If we catch him, and he realizes that he's lost, then I believe he would give up his power just to spite me." He went on, "But that's beside the point—Light, would you consent to me bringing in outside help?"

I sighed deeply. "Do what you must, L. But if they're anything like you, then I can promise you that the members of the task force are going to go insane by the end of this."

He chuckled. "Oh, they're nothing like me. They're far, far worse."

I groaned at the thought of three more little Ls running around the investigation room. "Great, L, like that makes me feel better…"

He gave me an odd look. Slowly, he pushed his closed laptop across the bed until it was completely out of his way. Then, hesitantly, as if he were debating the intelligence of his decision, he uncurled himself from his crouch and lay down beside me. He curled up on his side, facing me, while I remained on my back, staring upwards. "Light?" he murmured.

"Hmm?"

"I noticed… you've stopped calling me Ryuzaki."

"Oh, have I?" I turned just my head to face him. I hadn't noticed. "I'm sorry; I'll stop. I'd almost completely forgot that I was supposed to call you that."

"You… you don't have to."

I blinked, confused. "But what about your whole secret identity thing? Won't that be ruined if I just start calling you L on a regular basis?"

He paused, eyes turned downwards. "I would appreciate it if you would call me by my pseudonym while in the presence of others. But… if you would like to refer to me by my chosen name when we are alone, then I would very much encourage you to do so."

"Oh, then…" I trailed off, noticing how intently he was watching me. He almost seemed to be studying me, waiting for my reaction. "In that case, L, I'd be more than willing to call you by that name."

Warmth filled his gaze. "Thank you, Light."

He looked pleased, and I wondered if this was the first time he'd ever wanted anyone to regularly address him by the name he'd chosen for himself. L must be quite lonely, I realized. To live such a life, a life in which one's only company was that of an old inventor and a computer screen, must have been taxing. Despite the way he insisted upon his disinterest in the company of others, he had become much more relaxed since we'd become friends. Relaxed, that is, until Beyond became determined to bring it all down on our heads. I momentarily wondered what his history was with L. The two of them seemed to know each other, and I suspected it went beyond that one incident in Los Angeles. He knows L's real name, I thought uncomfortably. How close were they that he managed to discover it? Did L tell him out of friendship, or did Beyond deceive him in some way? And we've determined that in order to use Kira's power, one must have a name and a face. That means that they must have seen each other. Just how well do they know each other? My eyes flitted to L, who was still watching me, deep in thought. And more importantly, what did L do that made Beyond hate him so much? Was it really just L's success at thwarting him in Los Angeles during the Los Angeles BB Murder Case? It must have been something truly terrible for Beyond to go this far. Unless… unless we don't know his true motive at all. And there it was, the source of the nagging feeling I'd been ignoring for the past few days. I thought something was off about Beyond's self-proclaimed motive. I was certain that there had to be something else, some other reason that he wanted me. It couldn't just be because I had grown close to L, right? Perhaps it was because I was the original Kira suspect, and Beyond thought that I had actually been the murderer. I had yet to voice my concerns to L, for I was almost certain that he shared my train of thought.

I was so absorbed by my thoughts that I hardly noticed myself rolling over until I heard L's surprised exhale. My eyes refocused in front of me, and I nearly jumped clean off the bed as I realized just how close we were. In a single instant the tension in the room grew tenfold. L observed me with a slightly surprised expression, his obsidian eyes wide. It was almost comical the way he looked at me, as if just for a moment, he'd forgotten that I was real. It dawned on me then that I had never thanked him for taking care of me, staying by me when even my family couldn't bear being in my presence. "L…?" I began hesitantly, my chest feeling heavy with the strange tension filling the air.

"Hmm?" His eyes never left mine, even as he inched subtly closer.

"I still haven't thanked you for… you know. Saving my life."

He laughed softly. "I didn't save your life. All I did was alert Watari to your condition, and he called the ambulance. In fact, I might very well have ended your life after waiting so long to take you to the hospital." His eyes flitted away from mine in shame as he continued, "I could have been the cause of your death."

"You still stayed with me," I responded. "Without leaving once. And no matter how close it came, your actions didn't cost me my life. So… thank you. Really."

"It was no trouble," he said. "And for what its worth, I'm glad you're not dead."

This drew a chuckle from me as I responded, "That means quite a bit coming from you."

We fell into a tension-soaked silence then, the still air enfolding us as we observed each other with quiet, watchful eyes. I'd never seen him so close before, and I was surprised to discover that within those obsidian eyes, there resided flecks of lighter gray. The bags under his eyes looked less like paint from this close, and more like dark bruises, though they were greatly reduced from how they'd looked in the hospital. His hair appeared wild and coarse, sticking up in all different directions, and I wondered for a moment if it would feel anything like how it looked. I had almost persuaded myself to reach out and touch it when L suddenly shifted.

Something seemed to change in L. His eyes glinted with purpose as he pushed himself up onto one elbow, leaning just slightly over me. His hair hung barely in front of his face, and his eyebrows, normally hidden beneath his bangs, were scrunched in a serious expression.

"Light." He spoke my name as if it were a sacred word, forming each individual letter with the upmost care. "May I try something?"

"Ah… what, exactly?"

His eyes glowed in the dim light, and he seemed to move in slow motion as he reached out one hand, stroking it along my jawline. In a flash I understood what he wanted, and I couldn't stop my heart from suddenly leaping into my throat.

"L," I choked out. "Are you sure that—?"

"Allow me this," he whispered, pushing my shoulder until I settled onto my back. "Even if it's just once."

And with that, he leaned down and locked his lips to mine. For a moment we simply stayed that way, both frozen, waiting for the other's response to the bold move. Then, slowly, L began to move his lips against mine in an unhurried but frighteningly passionate display. I wanted to pull away—didn't I? Then why was I leaning into the older man, melting against his lips? I felt that I shouldn't want what he was doing, shouldn't want to continue—but my traitorous body wouldn't obey even the simplest command to pull away. I tried to think logically—did I care for L in this way? Could I make it work? But all logical reasoning had been swept away in a tidal wave of in-the-moment exhilaration, and I found myself helpless against it.

Giving in to my body's desires, I raised my hands to his hair at the same instant his curled around my waist. L took the move as acceptance, and pulled ever closer, his tongue darting out to lap at my bottom lip in a plea for entry. My lips parted, and he took the opportunity to plunge into my mouth, exploring the new territory fervently. In my stunned but blissful state I didn't even think to push back—what he was doing had seemingly short-circuited my brain. Even when he pulled away with a gasp, seemingly due to a lack of air, it took a moment to register the events that had just unfolded. The detective stared at me with wide eyes, anticipating my reaction. The emotion that lingered in those dark eyes was one of trepidation, as if he was bracing himself for my rejection.

My mind was running at a thousand miles per hour as I stared back at him. I slowly raised a hand, pressing three fingertips to my tingling lips. "L…"

He blushed, looking uncharacteristically shy. "I apologize, Light. It seems that my intuition as to your feelings was incorrect. Forgive me." He began to reach for his laptop, which still sat on the bed farther down, the light blush darkening.

"L, wait." I reached out and grasped his wrist gently, pulling it back. "I—" Words flitted in the shadows, just out of reach.

"It is okay," L assured me. "If you do not reciprocate the emotion I shared, then I will not be offended."

"No, that's not it! Just… damn it, L! It can't work!"

Confusion replaced L's expression of embarrassment.

"No, I mean…" I trailed off, struggling to put my thoughts in order. "You're L. No matter what you say, when you finish this case, you'll leave and I'll never see you again. And when you do leave, I'm just going to be left behind, staring after you and wondering what happened and whether or not you're even still alive."

Now confusion turned to surprise. "That's what you're concerned about? That I'll leave?"

"How would you feel if you were in my position?" I grumbled, looking away sharply. "Feeling anything at all for someone who can never stay…"

Now surprise was turning to some sort of twisted understanding and hope; he leaned back towards me and easily grasped both of my wrists, pushing me back down without so much as a fight.

"L!" I protested somewhat irritably, though I had no desire to fight him.

He stared down intently, murmuring, "Can I take that to mean that if I were to stay, you would be able to care for me in the same way I care for you? You wouldn't feel disgusted; you wouldn't hate me?"

"Disgusted?" I echoed. "Hate?"

"Well, of course…" he continued hesitantly. "I naturally assumed that when you became upset, that you—"

Understanding struck me. "No!" I bit out, surprising myself with the pure emotion in my voice. "No, never!"

"So…" he leaned down until I felt the ends of his hair brush my still-hot cheeks. "In that case, am I correct in assuming that you feel something for me in return?"

I felt my blush darken impossibly. "Ye—I mean, you can't just ask me that! This isn't how you go about asking someone out!"

"Really?" he asked innocently. "I admit I'm rather unversed on the subject."

"Well you're not supposed to pin someone to a bed!" I informed him, and before I knew what was happening I was laughing, the anger having fled completely. I paused then, staring up at the man pinning me down. He looked happier than I'd ever seen him, his eyes sparkling with amusement. And it was in that moment, that moment of observing just how happy he was and feeling the same emotion swelling in my chest, that I knew.

It was too late. Maybe it had been too late from the moment I first saw him.

I must have said something to that effect, for L frowned, asking, "What do you mean it's too late?"

In response I pulled one hand free and twisted my fingers into the collar of his shirt. I allowed myself a moment to simply stare up at him, at the comically surprised expression on his face. And then, before I could talk myself out of it, I tugged him down and kissed him with everything I had. My arms wound around him as I pulled him close, holding onto him as if he were my lifeline—and in that moment, it felt to me that he was. I drew back sharply, before he had a chance to react. "It's too late for me to escape without getting hurt," I murmured, smirking at his stunned expression. "You can say that you're going to stay, but I won't believe you. And when you do leave, be it after this case or the tenth after this one, I'm going to get hurt."

He stared at me with wide eyes. Then, slowly, a smirk spread across his face. I found myself smiling as well, finding his rare excitement infectious. I decided I wanted to keep that expression on his face as much as I could, no matter what it took. Anything, as long as he looked as incredibly carefree as he did in that moment. L reached out a hand to draw it along the side of my face, almost as if he didn't believe I was real. "I will stay until you tell me to leave," he vowed, though I didn't believe a word of it. He released my wrists in favor of looping his arms around my chest and pressing his cheek against my hair, a position that vaguely reminded me of how he'd acted in the hospital. "I'll stay, and no matter what, I'll save you from Beyond."

I hummed in agreement, refusing to voice my concerns, raising one hand to tangle into the back of his hair comfortingly. And that was the way he stayed, stretched out atop me, until his breath evened out and he fell asleep for the second time in as many days. But even the steady rhythm of his heart failed to lull me into unconsciousness. I remained awake throughout most of the night, eyes wide open and locked on the ceiling.

"I wish you would stay," I murmured after what seemed like forever. L had rolled off me a few hours prior, and was stretched out on his side. One of his arms was throw out over my waist, the other curled up near his face. He was very peaceful when he slept, I reflected. It was so unlike his waking self.

I reached out mindlessly and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. I cared for this man, I knew, more than I should. And when he left it was going to hurt. But until such a time, I resolved, I would stay with him. I would push down all my doubt and forget about the inevitability of his departure. I would forget about the future and focus on the now, allowing, for the first time in my entire life, my emotions to dictate how I acted.

But more than anything, I would not allow L to get hurt in an attempt to save me. If L lost, and if Beyond got to me, then I would not let L put himself in between me and the bullet. I refused to let him die in a fruitless attempt to protect that which could not be protected. He would not save me.

Which meant that I was going to have to save myself.

Beyond has revealed his intentions (sans the part about giving Light his memories back) and Light has resolved not to let L get hurt… and next chapter, the successors will enter the fray. Anyways, I wasn't happy with this chapter, but thanks for reading through it anyways. Leave a review if you enjoyed, and I'll see you on Saturday with another chapter.