Burn

by xLion'sRoarx

When BB, a dangerous criminal, escapes from jail and sets his eyes on Light, the entire investigation is thrown into chaos. The Kira case flies off the metaphorical tracks, and as Light's world comes apart at the seams, his own emotions bar him at every turn, turning calculations into reckless actions and throwing into danger everything that he has fought to protect. LxLight

12. The Sun Trail

Welcome to chapter twelve! This one is a bit of a filler, but there's still some decently important stuff that takes place near the end. And thanks for all the awesome reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad that this story is enjoyable to read!

To Blazedoll: ah, yes, the falsified rules written in Higuchi's Death Note, and L's failure to think of destroying the notebook. Fear not, for as Light's inability to give up the notebook was explained in the last chapter, those little problems will be dealt with in this one. Thanks for pointing it out!

Chapter 12: The Sun Trail

I awoke far too early, when Matt was still keeping watch. I jolted lightly in L's hold when I returned to the waking world, recalling my time spent in that horrifying landscape of silver and red. This time, at least, I hadn't heard Kira's voice. I'd spent the whole time running, the silence broken only by the crunching of leaves beneath my feet and the swishing of grass in the wind. The water was constantly at my heels, and I was hard pressed to avoid it. But I did manage to avoid it, and by the time I was hit by the paralysis that signified my awakening, I remained untouched by even a drop of the scarlet water. I took at least a modicum of comfort in knowing that for as long as I was awake, I didn't have to run away from that water. I shifted slightly, throwing a look over my shoulder at L. The detective was still out cold, no doubt sleeping off the events of the past several days. Turning my gaze back to the space in front of me, I saw Matt lounging back in one of the office chairs, some nondescript handheld gaming system in hand, face illuminated by the screen's glow.

Noticing my movements, Matt looked up at me with concerned eyes, lowering his game. "Did he wake you up?"

I knew he meant Kira. I nodded.

"Shame," Matt said sympathetically. "You haven't got long before L's supposed to wake up. How's the head?"

My head throbbed with every beat of my heart. It seemed that the headache was caused by Kira's advancements, much like the red sea—and just like the red sea, it was growing more and more intense, larger and larger, as time went on. "Hurts," I grumbled. "There's a lot of pressure."

"And the meds didn't help at all?"

"Not one bit. I don't think this is the kind of pain that medication can get rid of."

"Still, I'd have thought it would have done something. Kira must be really strong if he's able to cause you so much pain."

I wanted to tell him that it was getting worse and worse, but I couldn't choke out the words. So instead, I said, "I think Kira is doing something to my perception of fear." As if to illustrate my point, fear tore through me. Still, I forced the fear down, closing my eyes briefly and carefully keeping my breathing under control.

"He's making you afraid of your friends," Matt said.

I nodded.

"Then, are you afraid of L?"

"I'm afraid of him at certain times, but not now. I think Kira is taunting me. He's saying, look at me, I'm so powerful that I have the power to turn love into fear. He did something to me when I was talking to Mello… he paralyzed me with fear."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Right now? Yes. It was the same earlier with Mello in the infirmary. It passes, but it's not easy."

Matt immediately backed away. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Is there anything I can do?"

"You could kill me."

He shook his head, completely unsurprised with the request. "Sorry, Light, but I like you. I don't want to kill you, so I'm not going to."

"You'd kill me if you wanted to, even though L wishes to keep me alive?"

"Hell yeah I would! L's my superior and all that, but he can be a real idiot sometimes. If I thought you were a threat to this team, I would shoot you on the spot. But it just so happens that I think we have the power to restrain you as long as is necessary for us to come up with a solution."

There was no solution. No solution other than death, unless I was suddenly able to give up the notebook. Or, of course, the notebook could be burned. But I had no way to communicate that idea to L or the successors, and they had yet to think of it. "There is no solution other than my death. I don't want to die, but if the cost of Kira's life is my own, then I would be glad to pay it."

"Yeah, well L wouldn't be glad. You seem to be forgetting that you'd be leaving behind a world with people in it that love you. Quite frankly, I'd say that dying now would be taking the easy way out. I think that if I were you, I'd much rather stick around and pay my dues."

He had a point. I wanted to pay for what I had done. But the best way to do that would be dying to get rid of Kira. "I suppose you're right in that regard. I do want to live, and I want to pay my dues to the society I destroyed. But the way I see it, I can't possibly be kept alive. Kira is within me, and it's only a matter of time before he takes over. I don't like it any more than you do, but if things go on like this, you won't have a choice."

Matt raised a hand and lowered his goggles. I realized with a start that this was the first time I'd ever seen his eyes. Hazel, but a shade so light that they appeared almost completely colorless. "Okay, let's be realistic. You're right; this probably won't end well for you. But please, for L's sake, try to act like you value your life. Don't go throwing around phrases like, I want to die, or just kill me now, it's useless. It's the least you can do for him."

I knew he was right. I owed L that, at least… but it was hard to go on pretending that everything was fine when I was almost certain that this whole nightmare would end in my death. I looked up at Matt belatedly, responding, "I can promise you that I will be there for him as long as I can." For as long as I'm able to before Kira overwhelms me.

This seemed to satisfy him, at least for the moment. "Good. Now pretend to go back to sleep so L doesn't think you stayed up."

I shot him a weary smile, eyes slipping closed as I fell back into false sleep. Minutes later, I was in another nightmare.

†††

L walked into the investigation room the next morning to be greeted by Soichiro flying at him and gripping him by the shoulders, shaking him harshly. "We were told that Light woke up!" he cried. "Is he okay? Is he in his right mind?"

This was where the lie began. "Light is awake, and he will recover physically," L said. "He still recognizes those he knew previous to the kidnapping, and he can speak and move as well as any other human. However, his mental state is unstable at best."

Soichiro gasped, a stunned expression on his face as he took a step back.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea," L lied. "He will be fine. But it's going to take time for him to recover. At the moment he's a danger to himself and everyone around, seeing as he seems to be suffering from mild delusions in which be believes that anyone approaching him is actually Beyond. He's lashed out at the successors multiple times when they tried to move him back to our room." It wasn't a complete lie—but it was far from the truth.

"So where is he?" Aizawa demanded. "You can't possibly just let him loose in the building!"

"Of course not," L reassured. "Light is in my room being watched by Mello at the moment. Near will switch places with him in a few hours, then Matt, then I. This way he will never be left alone, but he doesn't have to be restrained unless he becomes violent."

"What if he overpowers the guard?" Mogi asked carefully. "Do you have a way of knowing if he escapes his room?"

"He won't beat any of us," Near broke in. "Especially not Mello. Not only is Light already incapacitated physically, but all of the successors have been trained in various forms of martial arts. And if somehow Light managed to beat Mello, he is armed with both a real gun and means by which to administer a strong sedative. But it won't come to that."

This only seemed to make Soichiro more upset. "I'd like to see him," he demanded. "My family can be kept unaware of this by saying Light has been sent off to investigate something in another part of Japan, but I cannot just sit here knowing that he is suffering!"

L frowned irritably. He'd hoped that this could wait until he'd had a chance to further assess Light's mental state. "Very well. I will take you to see him when I go up to take my shift." Soichiro opened his mouth to protest, but L was swift to cut him off. "If you do not go with me at that time, then you will not be allowed to see Light. Do I make myself clear?"

Soichiro remained glaring for a moment longer, clearly debating whether or not to start yelling. But he seemed to know that ordering L around would get him nowhere, for after a moment he nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Let's find the monster that did this, shall we?"

"Sounds good," the detective agreed shortly, moving to his computer and seating himself. He rubbed absently at the place on his wrist where the his half of the handcuffs should have been, eyes flickering to Light's empty seat. A wave of uneasiness settled over him upon seeing the abandoned seat. Light… he hoped that the teen would be able to beat Kira and return to the task force soon.

Until then, L knew, all he could do was hunt Beyond down and exact revenge for what he had done.

†††

I stared blankly up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the blonde-haired boy currently watching me like a hawk. Those chocolate-brown eyes picked up on the littlest movement, tucking everything away for later analysis. The whole time I was being watched I had my eyes closed, reclining back on the bed as I battled the never-ending pressure that was building in my head with every passing hour. The pain was increasing slowly, steadily, much in the same way the red sea was creeping across my mind. It was becoming harder to ignore that pain, to pretend that Kira didn't exist. I longed to drop off into a peaceful slumber, but as long as Kira kept drawing me back to that silver and red landscape, it was impossible. And so I remained awake, and that pain just kept growing, and growing, and growing… And judging by the way Mello was watching me, he could tell just how bad it was getting. Finally, after watching me toss and turn for at least an hour, be spoke up.

"Look, I have no intention of being your counselor. But I'm still going to ask you something. Is that okay?"

I nodded, focusing on him in an attempt to draw my attention away from the pain in my head.

"How do you feel?"

I blinked up at him, surprised. "My head hurts," I responded slowly. "And it's getting worse and worse. The rest of my body is achy, but I can't really focus on that when it feels like someone has taken a sledge hammer to the back of my skull."

"And emotionally?" He said the word as if it left a sour taste on his tongue.

Emotionally? I shifted uncomfortably. "Defeated, I suppose. L's been telling me that I had to be Kira ever since this case started. In fact, he was already accusing me within the first forty-eight hours we knew each other. But I never actually thought that it could be true. For all the time that I lacked my memories, I completely believed that I was innocent. And so now, to be so harshly informed that I was wrong, and that in reality I am the murderer I've been chasing…it's startling, to say the least. No, it's disheartening. And on top of all that, I don't know how much longer I'll have the strength to retain control. But the worst part is that I wanted to kill L. I wanted to kill him! That's the one thing that I can't accept."

You tried to kill him! Kira corrected me unhelpfully. And you would have, too, if he hadn't suddenly imprisoned Misa before you could get his name from her!

"Shut up!" I snapped viciously, digging my fingernails into my scalp, tugging at my hair harshly. Mello stared at me, startled. His hand had shot to his hip, where I knew his gun was holstered. "It… it's Kira," I told him, half hoping he would go through with it and shoot me on the spot.

"He can speak to you?" He sounded alarmed.

"Yes. He's been keeping me up, sending me nightmares ever since he was reintroduced. Nightmares of a land made of silver."

"He's moving fast," Mello murmured. "Your headaches weren't this bad just yesterday. You're… you're degrading."

"You'd degrade too if you had a god in your head," I groaned, rubbing at the bridge of my nose. I let out a low chuckle, saying, "You know what really sucks about this? I'm suffering through all this pain, and in the end I'm just going to end up dead. At some point L is going to realize that I'm a lost cause, and he's going to have to kill me. It would be so much easier if I just gave in… L would have no choice but to kill me then."

Mello leapt to his feet, eyes blazing. "Don't you dare give in!" he snarled, reaching for his gun once again. "I won't hesitate to shoot if you threaten me!"

I shot him a sideways glance. "I hope you realize that that's all the more incentive to give in. The only thing that's stopping me from carrying out that plan is the fact that I believe he would hurt you. That he would hurt L. All I was doing was pointing out the obvious—that should I fail in keeping him out, all of this would stop. I could rest."

"Yeah, well… you're not allowed to rest!" Mello snapped, clearly uneasy. "You're going to fight him until we find a way to get rid of him!"

Killing me would get rid of him. I knew that much. If I died while Kira possessed me, he would never have the chance to move on to another target, for L would destroy the notebook or lock it away forever. Or better yet, one of the two shinigami who had dropped Death Notes in this world would take it away. But no one would listen to me, no one would understand that the only way out was through my death. I would do it myself if I had the right supplies. I could break the mirror and use the shard to slit my throat. I could hang myself. I could jump from the roof. The possibilities were endless. But as long as I was being watched, I couldn't do a thing.

It's cute that you think I'll let you commit suicide, Kira chimed in unhelpfully. I told you, I'm not going to let you slip away from me just yet.

And wasn't that a pleasant thought?

†††

Near was the next one to stand watch. Unlike Mello, he didn't watch me the entire time. Rather, he began fiddling with his finger puppets. He lay out the ones he had already created on the bed beside me. L, Mello, Matt, himself, and me. Then the task force. Then Sayu.

"Have you spoken to her since the party?" I asked, motioning to the Sayu doll.

"We have exchanged words over text," he said simply. "I find her company most enjoyable." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another puppet. My stomach flipped nervously as I realized it was me with red hair and eyes—Kira. Another blank puppet emerged from his pocket (where did he keep all of them, anyways?) and he began fashioning it to look similar to L. Red eyes, eyes that I now recognized as shinigami eyes, were added to the doll. It was Beyond Birthday. Near looked up at me, pausing his work momentarily. "Would you like to play a game of chess with me?"

"Ah… sure." An odd request. Near immediately reached under the bed and pulled out a case. I wondered briefly how he'd known its location, but before I had a chance to ask, he was unlatching the case and spreading the board out on the bed, dumping the pieces out on the floor carelessly. I stared quizzically.

"I like to use my own pieces," he explained, holding up a small bag he'd seemingly produced from nowhere. He opened it and began placing the pieces on the board.

"Really?" I asked with amusement, holding up a pawn that had a suit and brown hair sewn onto it. "You even decorated the chess pieces to look like the members of the task force?"

He smiled faintly. "I have a lot of time on my hands." He set up the pieces so that one side had Beyond, Near, Matt, and Mello as well as many pieces that appeared to be dressed as students. My side had L, Watari, the members of the task force, Sayu, and myself—along with what appeared to be a group of police officers.

"Why is Beyond on your side?" I challenged lightheartedly, a teasing smile spread across my face. "Don't tell me you think he's one of the good guys!"

Near copied my smile. "No. In this game, the successors and I will play on the side of evil. As for Beyond, I merely thought it would be best to have him on the side where you could kill him, even if it is only symbolic."

"I see. And the other pieces, the students?"

His expression darkened slightly. "They are some of the other kids from Wammy's House. He pointed one out. "This is A, the student that was originally supposed to success L. And these two are fourth and fifth ranked at the orphanage." He pointed out two figures, one with brown hair and one with black. "They are quite intelligent."

"I see. Who moves first?"

"Evil," Near responded. He reached out and moved one of the pawns forward.

"You're calling me good?" I questioned.

"Do you see that bishop?" he asked, pointing one out one of his pieces I hadn't noticed before. It had red hair and eyes—obviously Kira. "That is the enemy. And that one—" He jabbed a finger across the board to point at my king—the piece that was clearly supposed to be me. "That is good."

"That's sweet of you," I smiled. "Using this game to show me who the real enemy is."

"You needed clarification," Near said simply. "Now, it's your move. Are you going to play, or are you going to talk about the symbolic nature of the pieces?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll play." I reached out and moved one of my pawns forward. A few moves later I took out one of Near's pieces. He followed suit, and soon we were moving the pieces across the board with a vengeance, nearly tied as we eliminated many of the colorfully dressed pieces covering the board. I knocked Mello out; he took Soichiro. I took A, he took Matsuda. It didn't take long for us to come down to the last few pieces. On his side he had Matt, the fourth and fifth ranked students, Kira, Beyond, and himself. I had L (who just so happened to be the queen, to my amusement), Aizawa, Mogi, several pawns, and myself.

"I do believe the game is nearing completion," Near said. "We also appear to be nearly tied."

He was right. The game could go either way. I moved another piece. Then Near moved, and Beyond was wide open. He eyed me. "Take him out," he advised, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I shot him a glance that I hoped conveyed how irritated I was that he had deliberately sacrificed Beyond. But still, I used L to capture him, slamming the piece violently down on the side of the board. And if his hair was bumped slightly so that it was crooked, Near didn't say anything. Near moved again, and Mogi was gone. He was getting uncomfortably close to my king. I moved my rook—Aizawa—closer in an attempt to defend. But it appeared Near had been waiting for that, and so he sprung his trap and captured the rook. I growled in irritation as he moved Kira towards the king.

"Check."

I moved the king away. Near placed a knight in such a way that I had nowhere to retreat to but the corner. Damn it! How had I fallen for such an obvious ruse? The next turn I slid L across the board. "Check."

Near's eyes narrowed as he was forced to move his second rook back to protect against the queen. "Going on the offensive even though you're cornered?" he asked lightly.

"I've already been backed into a corner," I responded. "Unless I can use my queen to checkmate, I'm going to lose."

"True," he said. He moved a pawn forward, closing off the last escape. "Things aren't looking good for you. Check."

I moved the king into the very last space, the corner. I stood, cornered by Kira, Matt, and the fifth ranked student. Near used one finger to push Kira forward a space. "Checkmate." I snarled internally as he pushed Kira into my piece, toppling it. Even in the game Kira had won. I noticed L's piece standing barely a few spaces from the king. One more move and I could have had him. "I win." Near began carefully cleaning up the pieces and returning them to the bag.

"Just like in real life," I sighed. "Kira comes out on top."

"True," Near said. "But your defeat could have been avoided." He set some of the pieces back up. It appeared that he had returned us to the midway portion of the game. "You see, if you had moved here—" He pushed L in front of the king. "Then I wouldn't have been able to take your first knight, and then you could have used him to do this, and this…" He moved the pieces across the board at an alarming rate until his king was cornered. "If you had just made that one move differently, the whole outcome would have been different." He pushed Kira over with a finger. "Do you understand?"

I smiled sadly. "Yes. One move can turn the tides of war. However, the instant I chose not to move in that one specific way, the battle was already lost. How am I to know that a deciding move such as that hasn't already been made?"

"Even if you hadn't moved the queen, there were still several times when you could have done something to win."

"Yes, but at what point did victory for me become impossible? What move determined that my death was inevitable?"

Near had no answer to that. "I can't tell you if you've already doomed yourself to failure," he said. "But I know that you realized that you were going to lose long before it actually happened. But you didn't stop playing. Why?"

I blinked. "Why…? It just didn't occur to me. You don't just stop playing because you think you're going to lose. You still have to see it through to the end, even if death is inevitable."

He regarded me with a self-satisfied smile. "Exactly. I want you to remember this the next time you decide that fighting Kira is pointless."

That brought a smile to my face. He was clever… I could see why he was the first ranked successor.

†††

As much as I had enjoyed Near's company, it couldn't last forever. He left a few hours after the chess match, leaving me in a much less depressed state. The pain in my head had even lessened slightly, as if feeling happier had beaten down Kira just enough to make life bearable. I sat with my back to the headboard as Matt came in, finally able to think clearly for the first time that day. "Matt," I greeted with a smile. "I must thank you for the advice last night. Between you and Near, my spirits have been lifted at least a bit."

He smiled warmly at me. "Don't mention it. You needed cheering up. How are you?"

"Kira isn't pushing as hard," I said, almost cheerily. "The pain has died down considerably."

"That's good!" Matt seated himself in the chair beside the bed and kicked his feet up. I noticed that his goggles were down around his neck, and a cigarette was clenched between his teeth. Unlit, as usual. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm hungry, actually," I said. "Would you mind…?"

"I can't let you leave this room," he said. "But I'll bring you something. Hang on, I'll be right back." He got up, took a step towards the door, then paused. "I can't leave either. Fine, I'll call Watari!" He walked to the far wall and pressed a button. An intercom, probably. "Watari, would you bring up something for Light to eat?"

"At once."

Matt released the button and kicked back on the chair again. "What did Mello and Near say?"

"Mello told me to get my shit together, and Near played a game of chess with me."

"Let me guess," Matt sighed, "It was symbolic."

I chuckled. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Oh, he's pulled that on pretty much everybody. It's not always a lesson, though. Sometimes he's just mad and wants to bash his opponent's face in. There was this one time, he was pissed at Mello for dragging him into some ridiculous fight over the rankings…" The successor paused to laugh, a wide grin on his face as he thought of the past. "I think the chess board is still cracked—Near ended up using it to hit Mello over the head!"

I couldn't contain a laugh, imagining the white-haired boy standing menacingly over Mello, cracked chess board in hand. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"No one does," Matt responded, amused. "But putting that aside, is there anything you want to get off your chest before the almighty L comes in and interrogates you as to your emotional integrity?"

"I'm feeling more optimistic," I said lightly. "Kira has become a little more manageable. I'm not sure if he's backed off, or if I'm actually starting to gain the ability to hold him off, if only for a little while."

"Do you think he's taking a break to compose himself?" Matt questioned.

"No, that's not it. He has no reason to stop, not when he's so powerful, not when he's gaining so much ground. I have no idea what's happened." There was a small twinge in the back of my mind as I spoke. It didn't hurt the same way it had just a few hours ago— it had receded and become more pressure than pain. If felt like when you went from low to high altitude suddenly—that feeling you get in your ears, only deep within my brain.

Matt's hazel eyes were still locked on me, his careful gaze traveling up and down my form. "That pressure, that pain…he's just going to increase it slowly until your mind breaks, isn't he?"

"Yes… I think that's exactly what he's planning. He forces nightmares upon me, causes unbearable spikes in fear, and spends near every minute threatening me. I don't want to count the number of times he's told me what Beyond is going to do once he gets his hands on me again…"

Matt's eyes widened. "He won't turn you over to him again, will he? It's his body too, after all!"

"My pain means nothing to him," I murmured. "And as long as I am in the one in control, I am certain that Kira cannot feel my pain. He is a monster, Matt. If he thinks he has something to gain from giving me back to Beyond as a chew toy, he'll do it."

Matt winced at the choice of words. "Even if that's the case, you should still have some time left to think of a solution before Kira gets to you. We'll be helping in every way we can, you know. I'm sure there's something we can do."

"Yeah," I agreed halfheartedly, hearing the door open as Watari brought in a tray of food. He set it on the bed beside me and left with a polite nod to Matt and me. I pulled the tray onto my lap and began to eat the offered food, which just so happened to be a rather delicious smelling stir-fry. When I'd finished with my meal I placed the tray on the bedside table, sipping from the glass of water I'd been left.

For a while after that, we fell into a comfortable silence. I reached for one of the books L had left me, and Matt returned to his game. The calm was only broken by Matt's occasional exclamation of irritation as he failed whatever level he was working at. But all good things had to come to an end, and before long Matt was lowering his Gameboy, getting to his feet and stretching, pulling his goggles back over his eyes. "It's time for me to go," he said sheepishly, clearly feeling guilty about leaving. "L will be coming up any minute now. I'm sure you'll have to endure countless hours of interrogation from him, so good luck!"

I was silent for a moment longer, debating whether or not to tell him what had been eating at my mind throughout the day. I hadn't told L or the other successors, but something about Matt… it made me want to tell him, to release the tension that had been building within me. "Matt… " I began slowly. "Before you go, can I tell you something and have you promise me that you won't repeat it to L?"

He blinked. "Sure. What is it?"

I took a deep breath. "I…I don't want to die."

He looked puzzled at my sudden seriousness. "Of course you don't. No one really wants to die."

"I want to live," I went on, well aware that I was telling these things to someone I barely knew. "I desperately want to live. But I have to die, don't you see? Kira is too strong, and he's already gained control of a part of my mind. With every second that passes, I can feel his influence growing. I feel it in how my head throbs, in how that red sea expands with every moment I remain in that silvery world…"

"Red sea?" Matt echoed. "Silver world?"

I shook my head. "Forget it. It means nothing. What I'm trying to say is…I know how much it will hurt L when I inevitably become Kira once again. I know how heartbroken he will be once he realizes that he has to kill me. But it's the only way out. I have to die in order to atone, in order to destroy Kira once and for all. I'll be a sacrificial lamb, yes, but it will be worth it. It will be worth it because once I am dead, Kira will never be able to hurt anyone ever again."

The third ranked successor shook his head, and though his eyes were covered, I knew that they were swimming with pity. "You're wrong."

I blinked, surprised. "What?"

"You think that once you're dead, no one will ever be killed by a Death Note again? Do you think Kira is the only one that murders with it? That once you're dead, it will all end? Because you're wrong, Light. Even if you die, even if Kira dies—that second Death Note still exists, and Beyond is still using it to this very moment. Your death isn't going to solve the problem. All it will do is incapacitate L to the point of uselessness. You know that, don't you? That if you die, he won't be able to continue functioning the way he once did?"

"He will learn to forget," I murmured. "And I'm no fool—I know that my death will not solve everything. But it will cut the problem in half. And for that, I will sacrifice myself without question. Even if in my heart, I desperately wish to be saved."

Matt's shoulders slumped slightly as he let out a deep sigh. "Still, the least you can do is stick around and try to catch Beyond. Think of it this way—if you just let yourself die before we catch him, then you'll have eliminated only half the problem. But if you catch him before Kira overwhelms you, and if you really must be killed, then when you die, both Kiras will be gone from this world forever. Then, at least for a while, the threat of the Death Note will no longer exist. You will have fully and completely paid off your debt to this world. So at least try to hang on until then, okay?"

I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking that if he could get me to hold out until we caught Beyond, by that point we would have found a way to get rid of Kira without killing me. But it was useless, so very useless. But I couldn't let Matt think he hadn't helped me at all, so I responded, "I will do that for you if you do something for me."

He frowned suspiciously. "What's that?"

"When… when I'm dead, I want you to keep an eye on L for me. You and the rest of the successors. I know how unstable he can get, and if you're watching over him… well, it'll reassure me that nothing is going to happen to him."

That brought a smile to his face, and all his previous suspicion vanished. "That I can do. But with any luck, I won't have to watch out for him."

"Why's that?"

"That's easy," he laughed. "Because you'll be doing it for me!"

"O-oh…" I stuttered, not quite sure how to react. He was so confident that we would find a way out.

Matt's phone rang suddenly. He answered it, saying, "Hey, L. What's up?" He listened for a few moments, an odd look on his face. Then he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "That's not good. I don't like it… but I'll do it if you think it's absolutely necessary."

He hung up and looked at me. "Your father is coming to visit. He's been told that you're mentally unstable and completely incoherent. L has ordered me to restrain you so it appears we are keeping you here because you're a danger to yourself."

"You have to… restrain me?" I found myself dreading the idea. After Beyond, the idea of being unable to move was terrifying. I had been okay with the handcuffs the night before because I'd been able to move my feet, but this… I would be completely immobile. "If you have to, then… I guess you should do it." I lay back on the bed limply, forcing the tension to melt from my body.

Matt shook his head, a troubled look on his face. "I don't like this… but I suppose I have no choice." He retrieved two sets of handcuffs from the drawer. He bound my wrists to the headboard and cuffed my ankles tightly, winding the chain around the frame of the bed. Then he pulled out the leather straps, clearly intending to secure me further to the bed, and fear jolted through me.

"Not those!" I begged, mind flashing back to those horridly tight straps Beyond had used on me. "Please, anything but those!"

He froze, eyeing me, and seemed to understand. He put the straps down, nodding. "Very well. The chains are tight enough so that you cannot move anyways, so I guess there's no need for them." He instead reached into the drawer and pulled out a large, thick strip of cloth. "I'm going to have to gag you in case you try to say anything about your identity as Kira," he explained, approaching me with the cloth in one hand. "Open your mouth, please."

I didn't like it. But it failed to invoke the same fear in me that the leather straps did, seeing as Beyond had never used a gag. He'd wanted to hear me, after all. I opened my mouth, not protesting when the strap was pulled taut around my head and tied firmly in a knot. I couldn't close my mouth all the way—no matter how hard I tried, my lips were always just a few centimeters apart. It was far from comfortable.

Matt plucked something from the computer desk, holding it up. I recognized a large syringe, completely filled with clear liquid. L must have left it for whoever was watching me at the time. "I can sedate you using this if you don't want to face your father," he offered. "I could say that I was forced to put you under because you refused to sleep."

But… but if I slept, then I would be back in that silver world. If I slept, then Kira would just have all the more room to maneuver, to fight against me and claim more and more of my mind. But I wanted to desperately to avoid facing my father…

Matt slowly approached me and reached for my arm, turning it over so he could get at a vein. He looked down at me, asking, "Do you want me to sedate you?"

I nodded before I could register just what I was doing. I felt severely disturbed as I realized that the action hadn't felt like my own doing. It was as if someone else had forced me to nod, asking Matt to knock me out. That sinking feeling in my stomach made me realize that I knew who that someone else was.

I felt the prick of the needle, then the flow of liquid entering my bloodstream. Then, just as I heard the doors open, my world went dark.

†††

L walked into the room to see Matt throwing a syringe into the trash. Luckily Soichiro was still behind him, so he didn't see anything. Light was lying on the bed, clearly sedated. The gag that was tied around his head made L gnash his teeth in irritation. It was a necessary evil, he knew, but he didn't like it. "What happened?" L demanded, trying not to sound too alarmed as Soichiro entered the room. If Light had succumbed to Kira, then he would have whole other set of problems on his hands.

Matt shot the detective a calming look, trying to portray that everything was okay. When he spoke, it was in a tone so low that Soichiro couldn't hear. "It's nothing bad," he promised. "He thought it would be best if he didn't have to be near Soichiro when he's in this state of mind."

So he hadn't given in… that was good. L felt the tension melt from his shoulders. "I see. Thank you, Matt. How was he today?"

"Looking a bit better," he said, voice rising form a whisper so Soichiro couldn't hear. "Apparently he was coherent long enough to play a game with Near today."

"Chess?" L questioned with a small smile.

"You guessed it."

"Symbolic?"

"Undoubtedly."

Soichiro had slipped into the chair beside the bed, taking his son's limp hand in his. He frowned, clearly irritated when he spotted the handcuffs keeping him in place, brow furrowing even further when he spotted the gag. "I want you to be honest, L," he rasped in a low tone. "Does my son have a chance at recovering from this? Is he going to be the same?"

L paused. "The probability that he will recover is quite high," he lied. "However, even if Light overcomes this trauma, I cannot say that he will be the same. He will return to a very similar version of himself, but I do not think he will ever be the Light Yagami we knew before he was taken prisoner." That is painfully close to the truth, L thought uncomfortably. Even if we can find a way to get rid of Kira, he'll never be quite the same.

Soichiro didn't seem pleased with that. "I see… Will you allow me to stay with my son for a while longer?"

L looked up at Matt, silently asking him how long it would be until the sedative wore off. He held up a three and a zero using his fingers. Thirty minutes.

"You can stay for exactly half an hour," L said. "But then you will need to return to work. I want everyone working as hard as possible to catch Beyond and… and Kira."

Soichiro nodded gruffly, though he didn't appear contented. He settled down, pulling his chair even closer to the bed, and waited to see if his son would awaken.

Of course, he didn't.

†††

Light showed the first signs of waking a few minutes after Soichiro left. L sat on the bed beside him as he slowly began twitching in his sleep. His fists clenched suddenly, and his previously calm expression vanished, replaced by a look that could only be described as pure and utter panic. Concerned, L immediately soothed his hands over his lover's chest, shaking him lightly.

"Light…" he urged softly. "Light, wake up now, please…"

The teen turned onto his side, his back now to L. He drew his knees up to his chest, curling in on himself as his erratic movements twisted the blankets further around his form. A sheen of sweat had gathered on his skin, and a low, distressed whine was building in his throat. "No…" he muttered, fingers twisting in the comforter as if it were attacking him. "Stop…don't make me run anymore…"

L frowned. Make him run? It must be a nightmare, he thought. Anyone would have nightmare after going through what he's been forced to endure over the past few weeks. "Come on," he murmured, shaking the teen slightly harder. "It's a nightmare, Light. You need to wake up."

He shook his head, murmuring, "Get away…"

"Light." L rolled the teen over, taking his face between his hands and rubbing circles beneath his eyes.

For a moment later he remained within the clutches of the nightmare. But then, with a shuddering gasp, he shot up, nearly smashing his forehead into L's. His eyes remained locked on the ceiling, his chest heaving as he no doubt replayed the events of the nightmare. Lowering his gaze, he brought his hands up in front of his face, turning them over as if to make sure they were really there. "Not silver…" he breathed in relief, and the words made L frown. Not silver? What was that supposed to mean? Light's eyes finally found L, and a small, weary smile spread across his face. "L," he greeted shakily. "It's good to see you…"

Frowning deeply, L asked, "What were you dreaming about?"

A flash of alarm darted through Light's eyes, increasing L's curiosity. He responded hastily, "Oh, nothing serious. I've been having a lot of nightmares lately, that's all. I guess it's just my mind's way of dealing with what Beyond did to me."

L's eyes narrowed. "You said you were running. What was happening to you? And what did you mean by "not silver?"

Light looked away determinedly, shaking his head. "I told you, L, it's nothing to be concerned about. Please, drop it."

The detective's frown deepened. He opened his mouth to inquire further, but Light cut him off with a carefully timed question.

"So, how are things going?"

L hesitated. I supposed I'll just have to bring it up again later, he decided. If it was something Light didn't want to talk about, then he should give him some space rather than imposing upon him. "Nothing has occurred in the case, if that's what you're occurring to," he responded slowly.

"Actually I was just asking about your day," Light said with a smile that almost, almost covered the pain lingering in his eyes. "How are you?"

"How am I?" he asked, clearly stunned. "I am fine! It's you I'm worried about! When Mello and Near came back to the investigation room, they reported signs of extreme pain that no medicine could lift, described as pressure building in the back of the head! Why didn't you tell me your head was hurting this badly?"

He shrugged. "Even if I'd told you, it's not like you could have done anything. This is something you can't control, L. Not even I can control it."

L gritted his teeth. It was clear he was angry, but he had nothing he could direct his frustrations at. "You still should have told me."

"Fine," Light said coolly. "The next time my skull decides to split open I'll inform you—but you won't be able to do anything about it."

"Does it hurt now?"

He shrugged once again. "It's been hurting ever since I got my memories back, though today has been especially bad. And it's not like Kira is something you can just push away. No matter what I do, he's commenting on it, increasing the pressure. It's beginning to drive me insane."

"And what about your shinigami? If you now own a Death Note, then one should be showing up, right?"

Light shook his head slowly. "No god of death has shown their face to me yet. I believe that I have Rem's notebook, but I have yet to see her nor Ryuk, so I can't be sure. However, I am quite certain that I do not possess Ryuk's notebook. If I did, then I believe he would have shown himself to me by now. He isn't the type to hide out while all sorts of interesting things are going on, after all." He spoke the words venomously, as if the taste they left in his mouth was foul and unpleasant.

"Yes, that seems likely," L decided. He pulled Light up into a sitting position, leaning in to kiss him briefly. "Come on, we need to shower. Then you can go back to bed, if you want."

He shuffled his feet. "Actually, I was hoping you could read out of that book for me…"

"You mean… the one you started reading before you fell ill?" The book was still sitting on L's desk with a slip of paper marking where Light had become too sick to read.

"Yeah, that one. I like it, and I didn't get a chance to finish it. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to read to me."

L couldn't contain his smile. "Of course. I have a few other books I'd like to leave with you for tomorrow as well. I think you'll enjoy them."

Light nodded. Several minutes later they had showered, changed into clean clothing, and slipped into bed to read. Light curled himself around L like a child as he opened the book, beginning to read where he'd left off. He'd barely made it five pages before Mello entered the room and settled into the chair beside the bed. Not long after that, L watched Light drift off into an uneasy sleep, his features twisting painfully as he faded away. The detective marked the place in his book and set it on the bedside table, his gaze never leaving the sleeping teen. When he was sure he wasn't going to wake back up, L gently pulled Light's head into his lap, threading his fingers through auburn hair. He wasn't going to sleep tonight, so he wasn't sure Mello's presence was strictly necessary—but still, he didn't send him away. It would be good, he thought, to have some waking company. L's eyes left Light's sleeping form, locating the second ranked successor as he lounged back in the computer chair beside the bed.

"Mello," he said softly, mindful of Light's light slumber. "What do you think about this whole thing? How long do you think we can keep this up before the task force becomes suspicious or Kira wins? How long until Beyond strikes again?"

The blonde shrugged. "The task force will be easy to fool. And Beyond won't exactly be eager to attack so soon after being injured. You did quite a number on his hand, after all. I doubt it'll be usable for a while. We should have at least a little while to track him down before he tries something. As for the battle Light is waging against Kira, I don't think it looks good. I mean, while I was watching him he was in so much pain he couldn't even understand me for part of the time. I hate to say it, but I think we might be fighting a losing battle."

L turned his gaze back on Light. "Light told me that it was possible to win using his will as a weapon."

"Possible doesn't mean likely," Mello shot back. "Look, L, I already told you that if you want to attempt to find a way out without killing the kid, I'm in. But I don't think it's likely, and I don't think it's wise. The truth is, it's smarter to kill him. But we're not going to do that, not until every last lead is extinguished. Isn't that right?"

"Yes," L agreed softly. "That's right."

Mello slouched down in the office chair, stifling a yawn. "If you're going to do this, then you can't second guess yourself. You have to dive in head first, and not back out until you're certain you've lost. And above all else, you can't let Light know that you feel even the slightest doubt. He's already convinced himself he's going to lose, so if he finds out that even you're doubting him, then he'll go off the deep end. So, just… keep it together, got it? Don't be the one that pushes him over the edge."

L dipped his head in acknowledgement, murmuring, "I will not. Thank you, Mello." He yawned suddenly, and realized that he was actually quite tired. Strange…he'd been feeling depleted of energy disturbingly often lately. He wasn't sure he liked the change. Shrugging it off, he leaned back against the headboard, legs splayed out in front of him, and settled in to wait out the night.

†††

When my eyes opened, the first thing I saw was Matt passed out asleep in the chair—he must have fallen asleep during his shift. I gave a low chuckle as I observed his sleeping form. L was pressed into my back as always, his forehead leaning heavily in between my shoulder blades. He was dead asleep for the second night in a row. I wondered if his sudden decrease in energy was due to how much strength he was spending worrying about me.

"Light Yagami."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a familiar voice resonate from the center of the room. Looking up, I saw the familiar form of the shinigami Rem, towering over the bed like a giant. So, then… I'd been right. I was the owner of her notebook. "Rem," I greeted, my heart still pounding brutally. I took care to keep my voice down so I didn't wake either of the two sleeping geniuses. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up. I didn't see you at all while I was in that awful warehouse."

She raised her chin, glaring down at me with disdain. "I am here now. I notice that you are no longer using the Death Note, and you have not spoken to Misa in weeks. Do you have an explanation for such actions?"

Misa hadn't exactly been at the forefront of my mind for the past few days, especially not after her rather violent reaction to my relationship with L at the party. But Rem had been following Higuchi, and thus had no way of knowing what had transpired between us. "I'm not allowed to leave HQ, and she can't enter," I said slowly. "And besides that, we got into a bit of a fight. She hasn't messaged me since then—at least, not that I know of." I didn't put it past L to continue deleting Misa's messages while I slept. "Look, I don't know how much you've put together for yourself, but a lot of things have happened these past few weeks."

"I was present for all of Beyond Birthday's ranting. Consequently I have gathered that you were ill, and that he kidnapped you under the assumption that you would help him kill L once you regained your memories. Now you are being held here because L knows you are Kira, and refuses to kill you. Judging by the way he is currently wrapped around you, I am led to believe that he has developed feelings for you, and is thus unwilling to end your miserable life."

"You're mostly right," I said. "I was ill, and captured by Beyond. He returned my memories, and since I'd already fallen for L—well, actually, it's a long story. Suffice it to say that Kira has become his own personality within me."

The shinigami cocked her head to one side. "That would explain why you are acting so civil, and why you were so swift to reject Beyond. Am I to believe that all your actions while I knew you were carried out by Kira? Is this my first time meeting Light Yagami?"

I shook my head with a low chuckle. "No, you met him as a part of Kira. Now I've been separated from him, so you're speaking to the original. And believe it or not, the original actually has some good in him."

Her expression didn't change. "That is good. However, if you have truly split in two, then I severely doubt that Kira will just let you remain in control. You are at war with yourself, are you not?"

"I am." Now that I was awake, the throbbing in my head was slowly building. I was struck by the realization that even since the beginning of this day alone, the pain had grown much greater. And that silvery world… more and more of it was being splashed in red. "I'm losing," I admitted softly. "I don't suppose there's anything you can do about that?"

Rem shook her head. "I cannot do anything to help you. The only thing you can do is give up ownership or destroy the notebook. And if you haven't already done that, then something must be stopping you."

"He won't let me," I explained. "I've tried multiple times to force myself to say the words, but they won't come. I've also been forbidden from committing suicide, otherwise I would have attempted that by now. I can't even tell L to burn the notebook, and he's so shaken up by all of this that he hasn't thought of it yet. Or maybe he has, and he's worried that destroying the notebook will trap me with Kira forever—a foolish notion, of course. Can't you just take the notebook back and be done with it?"

Rem shook her head statically. "No, I cannot. Merely knowing that you want to give up the Death Note is not enough—you have to speak the words, or at least offer some outward sign of your desire to be rid of it. And if Kira refuses to let you do even that, then there is nothing that I can do. I am sorry."

Then could you kill me? I thought, longing to speak the words. But as I parted my lips to make the request, I felt a vice-like hold close over my vocal cords. A low growl resonated in my ears, and I knew it was Kira's way of warning me against what I was trying to do.

Remember, Light, he snarled. Behave yourself.

Rem seemed to understand what I was thinking. "I could kill you, you know," she said, hand going to her notebook. "I press pen to paper and stop this from going any further. Is that what you want?"

I desperately attempted to nod, or say something to tell her to kill me. For just a moment I thought Kira was going to let me do it—my lips parted, and mercifully, my voice continued to function. But that relief I felt to be able to speak freely was soon vanquished as I realized that though I was the one speaking, the words were not mine.

"No," I found myself saying, lips moving robotically. "I do not want you to kill me. L thinks he can find a way to remove Kira from my mind, and until he is convinced there is no other way, I will not wish for death."

A jolt of horror shot through me. No! I wanted to scream. No, no, that's not what I wanted to say! I need to die, please kill me before anything happens!

Too bad, Kira purred in my ear. Looks like I have more control than you thought, my Light.

Rem's pen was hovering above her notebook. "I would kill you, whether you wanted me to or not. However, I know that your death would bring nothing but suffering for Misa. So I will allow you to live, even though you must wish dearly to die."

I heard Kira give a satisfied chuckle. She gets it!

"I don't really want to die," I murmured, and that, at least, was the truth. "I just want to get rid of Kira. If L kills me, then that murderer will die too. It just seems like the honorable way to go."

She nodded. "I agree. Not only would you pay for your crimes, but you would destroy one of the two great evils that lurks within this world."

"Yes, but it's just not going to happen right now." I closed my eyes. If I could just overpower him for one second… one moment is all I would need to do it. All I would have to do is regain enough control to pull the trigger.

Rem nodded solemnly. "You are a honorable human being, Light Yagami. I hope you win this battle against the monster that possesses you, even if I can do nothing to assist you."

I smiled, feeling a rather painful twinge in the back of my head. "Rem, I think you should stay out of the way until either Kira or I win this battle. Leave and go to Misa's place. I know that she doesn't have her memories, but you should still watch over her. It would bring me no surprise if Beyond targets her, if not just gain some leverage over the task force." In truth, I doubted very much that Beyond would try to harm Misa. But it was better safe than sorry, and I didn't want Rem to be around to possibly help Kira if he gained control. It was better this way.

Rem offered me what was supposed to be a smile. "Very well, Yagami. I will watch over Misa. I wish you good luck." She floated forward, clearly intending to exit via the wall beside the bed—but the instant she came within a foot of me, her single visible eye shot down to lock onto my face and she froze, a horrified expression on her face. It was a rather strange look on her, a being that didn't normally show so much as a flicker of emotion.

"Rem?" I asked softly, wincing as I felt L shifting slightly against me. I hoped he wasn't about to wake up. "What is it?"

She leaned down, staring me fiercely in the eyes. "You have been talking to another shinigami," she said.

I frowned, immediately thinking of the child shinigami who had been making regular appearances in my dreams—though, I thought, I hadn't seen him more than once after that first incident in that silvery world. "Yes," I told her. "Is that a problem?"

Her single yellow eye widened. "That shinigami… the child…he has a very specific presence, a very identifiable scent, if you will. You must tell me what has he said to you at once!"

I frowned, thinking back to our few conversations. "He said that he was interested in me, and he didn't want me to die just yet. He was the one who explained the war between Kira and myself, and helped me when I was in the hospital."

"Is that all? Is there anything else?" she demanded.

"No, no! That's it, really! He didn't say anything noteworthy, really..." The intensity of her gaze was scaring me. "Rem, what's wrong?"

"That shinigami," she hissed, "is dangerous, Light Yagami. He is evil."

Evil? "But he's done nothing but help me!" I protested. "Listen, Rem, when I didn't understand what was happening to me, he brought me to the edge of the red sea—which is the way Kira's been taking hold of my mind—and let me see what was happening! He explained everything to me! And when Kira grabbed onto me and began taking control, he pulled me away, saving me! There's just no way he's evil, no way he's trying to hurt me!"

"Light," the shinigami insisted. "If he wants so badly to keep you alive, then why did he let Kira touch you in the first place?"

"Well, he—" I broke off. Why had he let Kira touch me? He'd seen the red hand emerging from the water, had had plenty of time to intercept. But he'd done nothing but sit back and watch.

"If he was really just trying to help you understand what Kira was doing, he could have shown you from a distance. But he led you to the edge of the water and let Kira touch you, thus allowing him to gain just the slightest bit of control. Don't you think that's a bit strange for someone who claims to be your guardian?"

I fell silent. Actually, yes. I hadn't questioned it at the time, but now it seemed that Rem was right. Letting me near the water's edge had been foolish, if the child was indeed trying to keep me safe. He would have been better to immediately steer me in the other direction. But if he really wanted to bring me harm as Rem suggested, then why hadn't he just killed me while I was in the hospital, or let Kira consume me then and there? What was his motive? "Rem," I said slowly. "Who is he? Who is the child?"

"I am forbidden to speak his name," she responded begrudgingly. "In fact, I know not if he even possesses such a thing as a name. But I warn you—if you see him again, do not speak to him. You must turn and run, and do not trust him. He brings nothing but trouble, and he cares not for the lives of humans, no matter what he says. As I stated, he is evil. I do not know why he has chosen to help you, but be assured that it is not indeed help that he offers; it is just his twisted way of meeting his own agenda. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered, shocked nearly into silence by her harsh words. "I understand."

Her expression softened minutely as she drew away. "I know not what you have gotten yourself into, Light Yagami. Between Kira and the child shinigami, you will know no end of pain. But still, I wish you luck. I do not want to see you die, despite our… rocky history. Not just for your sake, but for Misa's, and for the future of this world." She fluttered her wings as she drifted towards the wall, clearly about to leave.

"Wait!" I hissed, drawing her attention. When she turned back, fixing me with that yellowed gaze, I spoke again in a low, intense tone. "Rem…if the user of the Death Note fails to consecutively write names within thirteen days of each other, then the user will die. If a person makes this notebook unusable by tearing it up or burning it, all the humans who have touched the Death Note will die."

Rem's expression remained unchanged. "The fake rules written in the Death Note I gave to Higuchi. What of them?"

I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "If I indeed own your notebook currently, then those falsified rules should be written alongside the originals. And yet L has made no mention of those two rules, those two game changing dictations. It's possible that he's simply trying to spare me the pain of being forced to discuss the notebook and its many rules, and has decided to keep all discussion about it between him and his successors. Or less likely, that he's already deduced that the rules are fake. But it is very unlike him to let something like that go without making some mention of it to me. After all, I'm the only one he has access to who can accurately convey all the technicalities of the Death Note. And so I have calculated that it is more likely that those rules are simply not written in the notebook at all. L has not shown me the notebook up close for obvious reasons, but this seems to be the only logical solution. But those rules were in the Death Note. I saw them with my own two eyes. And the notebook L now holds is the same one that I had Ryuk write the rules in. So why… why are the rules gone? Are they gone? Is it possible to erase rules from the notebook?"

Rem's one visible eye narrowed. "Where is the notebook?"

I hesitated, thinking back to what L had told me about its location. "He kept it in this room for all the time I was unconscious, but I believe he told me that he'd moved it to a vault in the armory. It's completely secure there, locked up with no way to get to it unless you're Watari or L himself."

Rem nodded shortly, then disappeared through the floor. For a few stomach-turning minutes I was alone save for L and Matt—but then, just as swiftly and quietly as she'd left, Rem appeared before me once more, a grim look on her face.

"The rules are gone," she said simply. "The two fake rules have been completely erased."

"What?" I gasped. "Is it the same notebook? Is that even possible?"

"It is the same notebook," the shinigami assured me, clearly troubled. "And I see no reason that rules cannot be erased from the Death Note. However, I was not the one that did such a thing—and I feel quite confident in saying that Ryuk had no hand in this."

"So who was it?" I demanded. "Who erased the rules?"

Rem shuddered visibly. "The notebook reeked of the child shinigami."

My heart fell to my stomach. The child shinigami, the one that Rem believed was so evil… he had done this? Why? And how? "Why…?" I asked finally. "Why would he do something like this?"

"I do not know what purpose this serves," Rem responded darkly. "That shinigami is meddling in things that do not concern him."

"Maybe…" I murmured. I kept turning it over and over in my head, trying to figure out what the child shinigami had to gain from erasing those rules. But I kept coming up blank. Why had he done it? Briefly I resolved to ask him the next time I saw him—but then I remembered Rem's warning, and immediately doubted the intelligence behind the decision to speak to him again.

Rem spoke again. "Light Yagami, take heed. The child shinigami is a dangerous creature, and make no mistake—his doing this had a purpose. And whatever it is, it is not beneficial to you."

I nodded slowly. "You have my thanks, Rem. I will keep your warning in mind the next time I come across the child. But for now, I will perform my duty of keeping Kira at bay—and you too must perform your duty, your duty of keeping Misa safe."

"Very well. If that is what you wish, then I will be more than glad to protect Misa from any harm that may come to her. Farewell, Light Yagami. I wish you luck." Rem dipped her head to me almost respectfully, backing up towards the far wall. She paused then, and shot me one last mourning look. And then she was gone, leaving me in silence to ponder her foreboding words. I turned my gaze listlessly to the area before me. They came to rest on Matt, who was still slumped over in the chair, and knew inherently that I would be unable to sleep. Rem's words would keep me up possibly for the next several nights.

Who is right? I thought, closing my eyes without finding comfort in the action. Is the child shinigami really all that dangerous? Why did he let Kira touch me? Who is he? Why would he erase the falsified rules in the Death Note? And why is Rem so weary of him? Too many questions and not enough answers. How long would be, I wondered, until I retrieved those hidden answers? Would I retrieve them? Would I ever get the chance to unveil all the mysteries of this case, which only seemed to grow more and more twisted, more and more complex?

I knew not the answers to my endless questions. All I could do was stare, be it at the wall or the back of my eyelids, and wait for morning to come.

Hmm, who is the mysterious shinigami, I wonder? I bet several of you have already figured it out… Also, Beyond may have disappeared for the moment, but he'll be back soon, rest assured.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and be sure to drop me a review if you did! It's always nice to hear from readers :)