True Elision Chapter 5: Jigoku Daiarekuchiku, a death note fanfic

Hey everyone! I'm bringing you the latest addition! I'm so happy that this story has a good amount of hits (maybe not that many reviews, but I'm still super happy) – that is what makes want to continue writing (along with my yaoi obsession).

For yaoi fans: don't be impatient, guys! I promised you some nice, satisfying boyxboy and you're going to have it. I'll just keep torturing Raito-kun for a few more chapters, and then the rrrrrromance will begin. I'm just trying to make the plot flow naturally. Well, as naturally as it can, under the circumstances.

Also, remember! This horror stuff may seem pointless at first glance, but it DOES have a purpose. In the end of the story, hopefully, everyone will be able to understand the themes I'm working on!

Yo! On with the chapter!

(As usual, please excuse linguistic errors until I revise and edit the text!)

Hell Dialectic

"Yagami-kun"

The hands grab him. They rip him apart. So he begs and begs, litanies of pleas, and they are not surprised, which is perhaps the worst humiliation.

But it's not Ryuuzaki. Not another human doing this to him, and this thought is not half as comforting as Raito had believed it would be.

Toukyo

He'd thought the hands would never get him again. He'd thought he'd end up back in the interrogation room, wearing Ryuuzaki's body, facing a cold blooded, red-eyed demon who looks like himself.

No such luck.

"Sayu-chaaan! Don't wander too far off, now!"

The squeals of more than two-dozen children echoed around the playground as Mrs Yagami and her longtime friend, Shimizu Reiko-san, watched the members of the future generation run, jump, skip, dance, yell or otherwise interact with each other on the spring lawn.

"Souiji-kun, than stands for you too!" Reiko-san shouted at her son, who was currently running along with Sayu and a few others in the direction of the monkey bars.

"Oh just look at them." Mrs Yagami heard her friend's somewhat wistful tone come from the left "It seems like it was only yesterday when they were still in diapers, toddling around and calling 'ma-ma'…" and with these words, Reiko-san broke into a fit of giggling.

Mrs Yagami joined in the lighthearted mood with a nostalgic chuckle of her own "Yes, you're right…I can hardly believe that next year Sayu's going to elementary…soon, her homework will start taking too much of her time…" an untold ominous statement hung in the atmosphere, and Reiko-san instinctively understood. After all, she had also gone through this with her older sons. It was always hard for a parent to accept it when they'd start spreading their wings.

The worried calls of other parents to their children soon drowned out the oppressive thoughts, however. Reiko-san shook her dark hair away from her face and rocked the pram. The baby, her youngest and fourth child – finally a girl! – made a few small noises but still didn't wake up: the spring noon climate was much too warm and inviting for a nice doze. The resting baby was perhaps the wisest of them all.

"It's the same with Souji, now" Reiko-san slowly said, savouring the smell and pink snow falling from the surrounding cherry trees "since he entered elementary two years ago, it's been crazy. He needs help with his lessons…Naoto and I are seriously thinking of hiring a tutor." The woman decisively said, absently staring at her baby as she walked. Mrs Yagami turned to observe her serious friend, somewhat surprised at Reiko's next words. "It's not that he's not clever enough…it's just…he has a short attention span. He needs to learn how to focus…you know? And he must learn that from an early age…"

"You think so?" Mrs Yagami wondered aloud, knowing that keeping an indifferent stance was probably the most diplomatic course of action when giving advice.

"Oh, but what am I saying!" Reiko-san suddenly exclaimed, louder and more cheerfully than before, but Mrs Yagami could see the pensiveness of before still shadowing her friend's features "Your husband and you have probably never faced this problem, what with having a son like Raito-kun, and all…" and she pointedly turned to look at a nearby bench, where an auburn haired boy was sitting with a thick book in his lap, apparently absorbed in reading about physics. The bench he was sitting on was near to where Sayu was horsing around – he was always prepared to rescue his little sister in case of danger. Indeed the picture of the perfect son. Reiko-san had tried not to be jealous, as had most of Mrs Yagami's friends.

"Oh..." Mrs Yagami faintly blushed, a reserved woman who would probably never become fully accustomed to compliments – even when they were true – "…that's not true, Reiko-san…we, um…have had our problems with Raito too…" Mrs Yagami's face still had a faint tinge of pink at the cheeks as she struggled for a way to return her friend's compliment. She absent-mindedly looked at Raito's reading form, and remembered quite well that Raito's academic prowess had always been a status quo in their house. Reiko-san was telling the truth.

"Oh but of course he is absolutely special…" Reiko-san continued her praising, sounding slightly strained "He's the top-ranking student in his class, successful in every task he takes on, good-looking boy…he's also very apt in his athletics, correct? Yagami-san was telling us just the other day about-"

"Yes," Mrs Yagami filled in, remembering the conversation her husband had had with Reiko "He's going to compete in the National Tennis tournament this year! We're hoping for the best, and his coach says that he is good enough, so…" when no response came from her suddenly quiet friend, Mrs Yagami realized that she should perhaps try to cheer the other up by returning her praises.

"I'm sure it's as you said:" Mrs Yagami finally stated, pulling her eyes away from her son and gazing at the landscape instead "Souiji-kun is just as smart – he just needs to be urged toward the right direction, right? And lets not forget Ken'ichi, your eldest son, who's now a neurobiologist in Osaka! His achievements are the most impressive out of all of us!"

"That's true, isn't it…his position is quite important…" Reiko-san said, unable to contain her pleasure at having her family praised in return. Having her small sentiments of envy newly subdued, she continued her comments about Raito, now in a more honest sentiment "But I'm quite serious. Raito-kun is one of those exceptional children…I'm sure he'll end up entering an escalator high-school. Before we know it, we'll see him in Todai!"

"Thank you very much, Reiko-san," Mrs Yagami said, also feeling overwhelmed with pride. She did get these compliments about Raito often, but she always tried to keep her feet on the ground, nonetheless "I hope your right! He has said all along that he wants to follow his father's footsteps and become an investigator. He has a keen sense of justice, you know."

They gazed at him again, immaculately groomed in his black-and-grey middle school uniform. They were only jarred back to reality when he turned a page from his book, thus breaking their absent staring.

"The good thing about him is that he's not only focused in academics" Reiko-san continued and Mrs Yagami nodded her head in agreement "but is also capable in anything he undertakes. This is the kind of person good universities are looking for, in the new generation: not only a good student but an all around successful person. They want real leaders, and you know not everyone can be that." Reiko-san said, with the tone of someone experienced in the matter. Judging from her older sons' prior involvement with the graduating process, Mrs Yagami trusted her friend's advice.

"Raito-kun seems like such an overall 'perfect person'…" Reiko-san said, nodding. "Of course, no one is without flaws, but I guess Raito-kun has fewer than most, right?"

"I hope so, first and foremost for his sake, Reiko-san" Mrs Yagami said, and smiled affectionately as she stared back at her son. He'd closed the book by now and stood up from the bench, apparently offering his seat to a limping old lady who needed it much more than he. Mrs Yagami tried not to let herself internally explode with pride.

The baby in the carriage was starting to wake up and Reiko-san made a small disgruntled noise in the back of her throat. Mrs Yagami remembered vividly enough how gratifying – and at the same time extremely troublesome – it was to have a baby in the house. Two times had been quite enough for her, thank you very much, let alone four! She admired Reiko-san for still having the will to begin raising a child at this age! But then again, if the baby came, you couldn't just throw it away without good reason, could you?

"Where is Yagami-san?" Reiko-san asked all of a sudden, with renewed interest in the conversation "Souji, don't hurt yourself!" she then hurriedly shouted in the direction of the playing children, having noticed their games becoming too heated.

"Oh, he's in another investigation, working overtime." Mrs Yagami said. Contrary to what most of them thought, she knew what Reiko-san and the others were gossiping behind her back: they were saying that her husband's long absences were due to something other that police investigations. Well, not so much Reiko-san as the other women in the neighbourhood were saying these things.

But Mrs Yagami was a practical and discreet woman. She was much too devoted to her home and the healthy raising of her children to terribly occupy herself with these matters. "It's all right, though! I've become used to it."

Besides, she was more than willing to trust her husband. Since their offspring, Raito-kun, had proved to be, like his father before him, an honest, upright, gentle and considerate man, she doubted her husband could be any different.

Raito's primary and most developed characteristic, contrary to what people believed, was not his intelligence. The source of his genius was his analyzing speed. Raito-kun, albeit reluctant to admit it, was probably not as smart as Albert Einstein. However, even though Raito couldn't solve problems as difficult as Albert's, he could solve slightly less complex problems with extravagant speed. He was the kind of man who could draw vital conclusions swiftly and efficiently from pre-existing information; not the kind of man who could create the information on the first place.

This was also reflected by the fact that, when presented with any random situation, Raito's brain would always instinctively attempt to analyze it with great swiftness, in order to assimilate it as soon as possible. In other words, Raito always tried to be in control, didn't like surprises and didn't like ignorance. His life was a constant effort to be one step ahead from other people.

In other words, without realizing it, Raito had the ideal brain for a crook.

It was no surprise for him, therefore, that the situation in which he currently found himself was the complete anti-ideal environment for him. He was neither in control nor knowledgeable, he was always caught unawares and he had no way of counterattacking. The only thing he could achieve was to draw conclusions very slowly through the process of trial and error. This wouldn't have been as much of a problem if the process of trial and error did not involve repeatedly getting his guts ripped out and splattered in front of his eyes.

As such, after his swift – and entirely inconclusive – interrogation session with that demon, Raito had realized that his initial assumptions had been correct: there was a purpose to this torture. It was a 'competition', as the demon had said. But not necessarily a fair competition, since Raito's sanity was also being put to the test, along with his intelligence. Seeing yourself dying and living all over again was a bit of a traumatic experience, even for a man with supreme intelligence.

So be it, then. The game was on, Raito decided. If he had to beat that demon in order to escape this hellish torture, then he had absolutely no qualms. There was only one small problem: he'd have to figure out how this system worked, and he had to do it fast, before the strain of being killed over and over destroyed his psychological stamina.

At first, when Raito had fallen to the Hands after the interrogation, he thought he was being punished for failing the competition. He'd assumed that he'd be thrown in the hands only once and then he'd be returned for another interrogation. Nope.

It took another three times of being ripped apart and eaten by the hands until Raito had managed to catch a glimpse of Ryuuzaki in the mirror – the mirror created by the ground. The moment he'd managed to clearly discern Ryuuzaki's figure standing on the top of the building, he'd been returned to the interrogation room.

There, he'd failed the interrogation once again, despite his valiant efforts. After that, he was tossed back to the hands.

Afterwards, as he lay there, trying to breathe and to revitalize his eyelids, Raito began analyzing the facts. He couldn't yet feel the batch of black hair in his hand, but he knew he was holding it.

First fact. There is a long torture sequence, in which Raito hears Ryuuzaki calling him, but cannot see him. Then, Raito falls from the building and is grabbed by thousands of hands, which kill him. Raito has accidentally discovered that there is a way to escape this torture: if he can catch a clear glimpse of Ryuuzaki in the few seconds that the ground becomes a mirror, then the hands do not appear.

Second fact. After escaping the torture of the hands, Raito is taken to an interrogation room and transformed – at least physically – into Ryuuzaki. Then, he must face a long interview with a demon, taking turns at being the suspect and the detective. He doesn't know how many 'rounds' this interrogation has. What he does know is that every round is harder than the one before, since the demon becomes smarter and more flexible with each turn, according to what Raito reveals to him. Therefore, seeing as the undeniable truth is that Raito is Kira – which is supported by all the facts – it is mathematically impossible for the 'suspect' to win this interrogation. It is inevitable that the proof, no matter how well Raito tries to procrastinate revealing it, will always lie in the 'detective's' favour. As such, Raito is fighting at a disadvantage from the beginning.

These two facts, after they were carefully analyzed in Raito's brain, could only conclude to one thing: this torture mechanism was an elaborate system, where no event was unplanned or coincidental. All elements were integral parts of a greater scheme. It had first hit him when he'd heard the demon say the word 'rounds'. Then, Raito began to reevaluate the situation. It was as though this mechanism functioned in levels: the first level, the more crude one, was where he was tossed off the building and killed gruesomely by the hands. The second level was the interrogation. If you fail in the second level, you fall one level down. The ultimate punishment – the promise of unbearable pain – always lurks in the back of your mind. Raito would have to master this unbeatable interrogation as quickly as possible, in order to put more distance between himself and the Hands.

There was just one problem: he didn't know how many rounds the interrogation had. Therefore, he couldn't estimate how much proof he could reveal at the initial levels.

"Aaaaaahh!"

"AHHH- Ahhh!!!!"

He screams and screams in his brain, but the only thing that his throat can do is choke on black.His thoughts always pause when the time comes. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to catch a glimpse of Ryuuzaki in the mirror this time.

The hands eat him.

The next time he is lying down, labouring to breathe, he starts thinking about his predicament once more. The last time, he'd made it to interrogation round three: back to playing the role of the detective. Apparently, the interrogation would progress in stages: in the first round Raito would act as the detective, in the second round he would act as the suspect. In the third, he would again be in L's body, as the detective. Raito could only assume that, in the fourth round, he'd play the role of the suspect again. As such, in all odd rounds he would act as the detective and in all even rounds he'd be himself.

It had been proved before that the demon was not all-knowing. At least not in the first rounds. The demon, Raito had realized, would learn things based on what Raito would reveal. It was Raito's choices – Raito's game. Therefore, Raito had to take care not to bring too many things to the surface in the first few rounds of the interrogation, or the demon might become too knowledgeable too fast, and Raito would be defeated.

Theoretically, if Raito mentally slaved over the issue, he could find some way – a perfect interrogation scenario – where he'd manage to defeat the demon. However, there was this core, vital problem: Raito didn't know how many rounds there were. If, in the final round of the interrogation, Raito could act as Ryuuzaki, then he would undoubtedly win, since all the facts would serve as proof to the suspect's guilt. But the statistical probability that Raito could be victorious as the suspect was extremely meager. In order to win, Raito would eventually have to reveal and employ every single bit of information about the Kira case. And if he did that, then the suspect would automatically be judged guilty.

It was therefore a question more of survival than anything else: in all the rounds that he was playing the detective, he was in an advantage and all proof could be used in his favour. The odd rounds, where he played in L's body, were the rounds he could win easily. However, in order to reach the next odd round, he'd have to survive a corresponding even round, where he'd have to act as the suspect and come clean! In other words, the odd rounds were the rounds of victory and the even ones were those of survival. He had to take care, in the initial stages, not to become overly eager and produce much information, or else he'd have a problem dispelling it in the even rounds!

In the end, it all depended on Raito's words. Everything was based on what he would present as evidence and what he would hide. The demon, like a computer, would absorb all the information like a sponge, and later use it to make logical inquiries. All Raito had to do was predict-

"Yagami-kun"

This time, he strains with all his might to discern Ryuuzaki's figure in the mirrors. The larger part of his brain tries not to process what will happen if he fails. He knows he hasn't found a perfect interrogation strategy yet, but, as his mother always said, 'practice makes perfect'. He'd have to repeat the interrogation procedure and gather much more information if he even wanted a chance at winning! In the meantime, he had to escape the corporal punishment. If only he could train himself to spot Ryuuzaki every time he fell!

He groans and narrows his eyes, fighting to see better. Ironically, his flawless twenty-twenty vision is not much help, under the circumstances.

One, two, three…

He mentally counts. And by the time he reaches 'three', the ground turns into mirror – as he had calculated – and Raito struggles to discern the small, shadowy silhouette.

Just…a…little more….!

Time freezes.

Yes!

Indeed he manages to see it – the sparkling outline of white fabric against the sun. He sees Ryuuzaki with his own eyes, and as such shall be temporarily spared from punishment.

…yes

…he thinks, and hates.

When he wakes up in Ryuuzaki's body, he feels it's too early. As though he hasn't rested at all and hasn't replenished any brain cells. Suddenly, the anxiety grips him: it's much too soon. He's not properly prepared for this. He's going to fail, and be thrown to the hands again! He's analyzed before the reasons why he's hopeless: he can't win! It's impossible! Impossible! And then he'll be thrown to the hands again!

No…no, he has to calm down, or this is never going to work. He'll manage to escape the hands again, now that he knows that all he has to do is see Ryuuzaki in the mirrors. He'll make it. He has to.

But the demon is not kind. He doesn't spare even a few moments for rest and refocus. The moment Raito lifts his stiff back from the ground, the devil grasps his opportunity. He greets, in his eerily familiar, sugarcoated voice and his red eyes are glowing. But Raito is not fooled – never again.

"I've been expecting you. It took you long enough." The thing sardonically says.

There are hundreds of comments that Raito simultaneously tries to bite back. Most of them are derisive, ironic, mocking statements. He has discovered that when he…deviates from the demon's plans, the demon tends to become a bit less…agreeable. A chill runs through his spine as he remembers, and he can feel his thighs - Ryuuzaki's long thighs- shiver. Unconsciously, he bites his lower lip in the effort not to speak until he is told. He is surprised by the fact that his lip is fuller and warmer than he is accustomed to. Absently, he raises his hand to run a finger over his mouth – Ryuuzaki's mouth, he reminds himself. It takes a few moments for him to realize that he's involuntarily indulging in another of Ryuuzaki's favourite mannerisms. Raito immediately lowers his fingers, as though burnt.

"Well then, should we settle down, detective?" the demon says, without preamble. Raito agrees, feeling as though someone has dropped a rock in his stomach and tied his larynx in a knot. As always in Ryuuzaki's body, he can neither breathe nor see properly. Not to mention the constant discomfort: Raito has found that Ryuuzaki was not lying when he'd said that it was bothersome for him to sit and walk like normal sociable humans.

When Raito finally takes a seat on the cold wooden chair, now automatically letting his knees curl up to his chest, the demon begins his announcement of the initiation of the competition. As always, he proclaims the rules first.

"The time has come that we compete in terms of intelligence. You are the L, the great detective and I am Yagami Raito, the primary suspect for…"

As the rival speaks, Raito sharpens his senses. He can neither think nor focus on anything else than the upcoming match. This is a test of intelligence, as the demon has said. He must win this, and hope that, in the last round, he'll be able to act as the detective and not the suspect.

Fat chance, his subconscious, that faithfully honest friend, likes to remind him.

"Your time begins"

Were he not under so much stress, the announcement would have amused Raito, since it was so reminiscent of television game shows.

"Now!"

At first, Raito tried to be prudent. He didn't want to expose too much information on the first round. However, at the same time, in order to progress to the next round, he would have to provide some evidence and make a definite, proof-based accusation that the other was Kira. As Raito asked the questions and created the skeleton of the interrogation, using Ryuuzaki's annoyingly puckered mouth, he was aware that in the second round, as Raito, he would be forced to find ways to rebut the accusations he was now making.

He decided on procrastination, amongst other things.

"And what were you doing the day the twelve FBI agents were murdered? Do you have an alibi for their time of death?"

"Of course. I was in cram school."

Raito was making fruitless queries, he knew. But it was part of his experimental strategy: beat around the bush for the first fifty-five minutes, and then prove that the other was Kira within the last five minutes. In this way, the detective's final condemning argument –expressed in the last five minutes –would be rather flimsy, but enough to judge the suspect guilty. This would be convenient, because, in the second round, acting as the suspect, Raito would be able to dispel the argument without much effort and prove his innocence.

This was a tact Raito had used the last time, and it had worked. Luckily, each interrogation was an individual, self-contained process: the demon never seemed to remember the things said in previous sessions. Every time, Raito had a fresh chance.

"Are there witnesses who can verify that?"

"I'm not certain."

Raito had noticed that the demon was apparently not entirely oblivious about the case, or else he wouldn't know these basic concepts they were referring to. Raito knew that the demon of course had no alibi for the time in question, since he clearly remembered following Raye Penber to the underground train. However, he didn't want to present this information yet, lest it be used against him in the second round.

"The FBI agent who was killed first of all was Raye Penber. Apparently, he was the one assigned to tailing you, Yagami-kun." It felt strange to say his own name in the second person, and even stranger to see his own face staring back at him, but uncoordinated to his movements, unlike that of a mirror.

"Your point is?" the demon asked.

"Why would the one who was following a seemingly random suspect die before all others?" Raito asked, feeling his eyes – Ryuuzaki's trademark black orbs – narrowing on his face with practiced ease. In the back of his mind, somewhere, Raito wondered if the body he was using now was the same body Ryuuzaki had lived in or just a clone. Unexpectedly, the thought made his heart pump slightly faster, and he tried to refocus on the task at hand. Why had he become so distracted by the possibility of sharing something so intimate with a man he hated? It must be his disgust. The very thought of being in the body Ryuuzaki had used was making his stomach flip in displeasure.

"Even so, this is no concrete proof that I am indeed a mass murderer." Were the demon's eyes glowing a little brighter, or was it just Raito's imagination? His temples started throbbing, and he tried to keep his calm. He was having a very ominous feeling about this…

Apparently, his instinct was verified: "Stop stalling, detective." When the face of the adversary began to acquire a subtle green tinge, and the jaw began to grow wider, Raito braced himself. "You're more intelligent than that." Apparently, the demon had caught onto his little game. This monstrous transformation was the worst thing that could happen. Damnit! Raito swallowed, trying to relax and not notice the horrible, untold distortion that was taking place in front of his eyes. He didn't say anything, knowing that anything he tried to do would probably only make the situation worse.

"I'm coming to that." He said, keeping the tremble out of his voice, and felt his long fingers latch onto his knees tightly. Flashes of seeing Ryuuzaki do the same gesture overwhelmed him for a few seconds, and then he was focused again. "For the time being I am just pointing out that Penber was involved in a bus accident a few days before his death, where Yagami-kun was also present. In that bus accident, due to extreme circumstances, Penber was forced to reveal his FBI identity."

"Indeed" the demon, green and wide-jawed. countered "I was quite glad that an FBI agent appeared in the bus all of a sudden. A thug had suddenly hijacked the bus, and I was worried I'd have to face him all by myself. What is your point?" the demon asked, with eyes glowing a bit more, as a subtle warning not to be evasive again.

Raito surreptitiously checked the ticking clock. Ten minutes to six. He'd almost done it. He'd procrastinated enough, but, in the end, failed to fulfill his plans. He'd have to disclose more information earlier than planned. He admonished himself, knowing that, under the circumstances, even one small mistake could mean his punishment.

"It was known, at the time, that Kira requires the victim's name and facial representation in order to kill, with his mysterious way" Raito started, and heard Ryuuzaki's voice come out as he spoke, felt the black hair covering his eyes. Ryuuzki's real presence was always there – it wouldn't leave Raito alone. Not in life and not in death. Why couldn't it be Near? Why did it have to be…why? "Thus, when Raye Penber revealed his identity on the bus, Yagami-kun, as Kira, would attain all the instruments needed to kill him."

The demons eyes were glowing, but he was grinning with his lethal jaw. This was a bad sign – proof that Raito had disclosed more information than intended.

"If we take into consideration that Kira can manipulate his victim's deaths, then that would explain why it was Penber, the only man Kira had identified – the only man Yagami-kun had identified – who retrieved information on all the other agents before he died."

"There is no proof to support these claims" the suspect said, grinning.

"Someone within the people investigated by the FBI agents within the six days between the bus accident and the agents' deaths was indisputably Kira. The fact that Raye Penber was the only agent who revealed his identity to his target verifies the fact that Yagami-kun is Kira. Not to mention the subsequent mysterious disappearance of Penber's fiancée, the competent agent Misora Naomi, who was the only person involved with an FBI agent to disappear."

The clock had started ticking when Raito was still saying 'Naomi', but he didn't stop until he'd finished the sentence. The fact that the demon appeared pleased was never a good sign. Raito realized that this was, probably, not the right approach. If only…well, no matter, 'practice makes perfect'.

"Congratulations, detective." Raito heard the expected praise. "You barely made it, I daresay." Raito winced, involuntarily. "You shall now pass to the second round."

How many rounds are there? Raito was dying to ask, but knew that he'd never get an answer. Besides, he had already doubled from the pain in his stomach - he'd never become accustomed to this metamorphosis. Just when he'd been getting used to Ryuuzaki's physical status, he became uncoordinated again.

The transformation was never easy and never painless. In any case, though, it was still no match for the pain that the Hands could offer. But the most difficult part was turning his head around, after being turned back to himself, to see the demon's new face.

Ryuuzaki.

Taller than Raito had remembered, probably because the demon was not hunching. If not for the red eyes, it truly would be the clone image of Raito's teenage nemesis.

Raito usually enjoyed reminding himself that while he had been seventeen years old when becoming Kira, Ryuuzaki had been twenty-five. In other words, Raito had been good enough to fight a fully experienced adult man when he, Raito, was still a teenager.. He grit his teeth and reveled in self-indulgence. He'd always been faster and more adaptable. An image of that photo, the one he'd unexplainably lost, flashed across his memory Time and time again he'd wondered what Ryuuzaki had been like, not only as a child, but as a teenager. What had he looked like, when he'd been winning the tennis trophy in England…? Had he-

Hmph. The same as he'd been the rest of the time, probably: Hunched. Neurotic. Hypoglecemic. Dressed in the same clothes.

Ugly creature.

But now, as the demon used and abused Ryuuzaki's form again and again, Raito realized that, apart from the eyes, some other part of L was missing. Perhaps, Raito thought in one of his ironic moments, it was Ryuuzaki's 'soul' that wasn't there. Somehow, even though Raito had always called Ryuuzaki ugly in his thoughts, he hadn't ever believed it until now, when he saw the demon in L's body. It seems as though L's inherent wit and oxymoronic personality had a certain…aura of its own, which the demon could not mimic. Ryuuzaki was…now having actually been in the same body, Raito could…well…

"Time for the second round, Yagami-kun. Are you prepared?"

Very funny.

Thankfully, having transformed into Ryuuzaki, the demon was no longer green-skinned and his face no longer something out of a horror movie. He appeared human-shaped enough, but Raito knew better.

This couldn't have been Ryuuku's doing, the ex-serial murderer wondered. Ryuuku would have never bothered with all this extravagance. Had he wanted to torture Raito, all he'd have to do would be to show his face.

"The time starts…now!"

The second round, a 'survival' round, as Raito had started to call it, was more difficult than the first. As predicted, it started off pacified enough, and intensified as time passed. The problems started for Raito with the first mention of Raye Penber.

"I shall point out that Penber was involved in a bus accident a few days before his death, where Yagami-kun was also present. In that bus accident, due to extreme circumstances, Penber was forced to reveal his FBI identity." The demon-detective was saying, a carbon copy of the words Raito had said earlier.

And this is where Raito's strategic powers would come to play. If he remembered correctly, the demon had responded to this by making an offhand comment about being glad that Penber – a responsible FBI agent – had been on the bus to save everyone. If Raito responded in the same way, he knew where the conversation would go, and he didn't like the prospect. Instead, he'd have to steer the conversation away from Raye Penber, eventually focusing on some aspect of the Kira case that the demon was not yet aware of. In this way, Raito could win.

"Yes, indeed. At first I was very confused about why he was showing me that FBI identity badge" Raito said, heart thundering, knowing that he was spawning complete nonsense but retaining his best affectation of complete guilelessness "but I had no time to think about this, since the thug suddenly started shooting at thin air! I then realized that this Penber man was planning to attack and immobilize the thug, so I grabbed my girlfriend and ducked out of the way. But before Penber had a chance to do anything, that thug was running like mad out of the truck, as though he'd just seen something that scared him more than anything in the world!"

Raito kept his eyes wide and hoarse as he was speaking, the image of complete honesty and innocence. He put extreme emphasis on the last sentence, wanting to draw attention to the reasons why the thug would be scared. He conveniently omitted the information about the thug being immediately killed by a car accident after he exited the truck. This little distraction technique was a long shot, but it was Raito's way of procrastinating. Hopefully, it would work.

The demon was smiling again, obviously thinking he'd found a convenient loophole. Belatedly, Raito realized that he had not informed the demon about the bondage of Shinigami to Death Notes. Therefore, the detective would never start suspecting that the thing that scared a thug was a Shinigami. With a sinking heart, Raito realized that the demon would not get sufficiently distracted.

"And what, per se, probed Penber to display his identity to Raito–kun on the first place?" the detective asked, and Raito could feel droplets of sweat slide down the side of his temple. Shit, he hadn't taken the bait! Still, any distraction was better than none at all: anything to keep the discussion of the previous round from repeating itself. Raito would have to act wisely now. He would have to make it seem as though he hadn't been the one to provoke Penber into showing his ID, but the other way around.

"He was sitting behind me on the bus" Raito started "I didn't yet know that I was a Kira suspect, at that time. So when I whispered to my girlfriend, who was sitting next to me, that I'd try to immobilize the thug, Penber suddenly interrupted, showing me his ID, saying that he was an FBI agent and that he'd take care of it!"

The demon didn't show any immediate response. Raito chanced a glance at the clock. All right! Seven minutes left! He had done this before and he could do it again, he thought. He had procrastinated enough to make the demon unable to develop the more basic points of the interrogation. The demon then decided on a new question.

"It was well known at the time that Kira needed the victim's name and face in order to kill them…" the satanic detective started, repeating Raito's words from the first round "Thus, when Raye Penber revealed his identity on the bus, Yagami-kun, as Kira, could attain all the instruments needed to kill him." Useless. Raito couldn't help but think that Ryuuzaki would have caught on and won the battle by now. Ryuuzaki was much better than this devil clown. And since Raito had defeated Ryuuzaki, he could defeat anyone.

"If I am truly Kira" Raito started, trying and failing to keep the slight mockery away from his voice, knowing that it was not wise "then provide proof of an instance where I killed an individual by using their name and identity."

The demon's eyes narrowed, and Raito felt his heart constrict viciously, as though out of his control. He was suddenly reminded of the stakes of the situation, and promptly removed the derisiveness from his eyes.

"That shall not be necessary. It is ascertained by provided facts that, since Penber was the only one of the FBI agents to display his identity to the target, Yagami-kun definitely had these powers and used them to manipulate Raye Penber into acquiring information about all other FBI agents before killing him. Not to mention the mysterious and incriminating disappearance of Penber's fiancée, Misora, who would pose a threat to Kira." the thing in Ryuuzaki's body said, and Raito recognized this as the basic incriminating argument. He looked at the clock. Two minutes to go. This hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped, since they were still focused on Penber. Unfortunately, he'd have to disclose more valuable information in order to survive this round. Even though everything seemed to be lost for him, Raito had an ace up his sleeve. And that ace was the element of surprise.

"That may be so. However, since after this 'incriminating' incident, as you put it, I became the primary suspect, I was put under twenty-four hour surveillance for nine days by L. During these nine days, not once was I witnessed making any incriminating actions such as those you describe. Witnesses can attest to this. Most important of all, even you yourself can attest to this…detective." Raito finished. The demon could not argue on this point, since he knew no more information. Thus, the survival round ended with Raito as the legitimate victor. He congratulated himself: he had gained one more chance. Now, if only he could actually keep this up…

The third round, predictably, was harder than the two before. He had to find a way to prove Raito's guilt using the information that was already set on the table – the one he'd been busy falsifying in the survival second round. The last time he'd been interrogated, he'd lost in this third round, since, in his efforts not to disclose information, he'd been unable to prove Raito's guilt. That had been one of the times where he'd cursed his own talent in hiding his tracks.

The interrogation was more a psychological strain than a mental one, overall. The fact that he was constantly switching goals and positions was not helping. He always had to keep in mind not his current goal, but the goal of the survival round as well. Soon, he discovered the solution: he had to debate the opponent's innocence based on ambiguous matters – matters that could be seen through various aspects.

In the fourth round, the survival round, Raito lost.

He was thrown back to Toukyo, to face the cruel Hands and the pain. But as he lay there, suffering, he knew that he'd found it: the way to win.

The technique was rather simple, really, and he was surprised he hadn't detected it before, in his plight. He didn't know how many rounds it was, but he had to assume they would be enough to put him in torturous and extremely unpleasant position by the time they were over. This was the logic of this place, after all. Raito was willing to wager, based on his biblical knowlege about Hell and its mythology, that he would suffer perhaps six, seven or nine rounds of torture. He could only hope that the last round would be a 'detective' round. But it wasn't really a worry, anymore, since he'd found the way to win. And the way to win went as follows:

First, he would spend the initial two rounds 'bickering'. In other words, plainly debating with the demon, on a less informative level. Raito would provide some information, insignificant on the most part, about the Kira case, but he'd try to keep the interrogation as shallow and philosophical as possible. This was a technique he'd learnt from dearly deceased Ryuuzaki: debate to the extent of incomprehension. If Raito's predictions were correct, by the end of the second round, the demon would have become infuriated enough to take his monstrous form. This would be the queue for Raito to start being serious.

And then the real strategy would begin. In the 'detective' rounds, Raito would debate the already known information. Since Yagami Raito truly is guilty, it was rather easy, for Raito in a detective's point of view, to prove guilt by debating any amount of information available.

In the survival rounds, Raito introduces new information, which will enable him to escape predicaments, like the one in the last interrogation. He'd always try to be as concise and frugal with information as possible, not letting inappropriate phrases escape, such as "he would have died anyway' or things like that. To give information about his little tricks – such as the trick with the crisps or the watch – would be absolutely lethal. He'd have to stick to the ambiguous aspects. Luckily, for Raito, the legend of the Death Note was long and complex enough to provide a never-ending source of information. In other words, while he'd keep recycling and debating the same information in the 'detective' rounds, he'd use the survival rounds to retain the element of surprise, thus escaping close calls.

Unfortunately, false information was not available. Raito had tried to lie, of course. But the demon had immediately turned monstrous and ended the interrogation right then and there, calling Raito a 'cheater' and sending him to the Hands for punishment. Therefore, his favourite pastime, lying, was not an option. He'd have to omit aspects of the truth instead of lie. He'd also discovered that, as long as he wasn't using blatant lies, he was allowed to subtly twist or distort the truth, as he had done with the story of Penber in the bus, in order to survive.

By the time Raito could feel his skin stop rotting after being defiled once again, and by the time he could feel the wad of black hair clasped in his hand once more, he'd found the solution. The rough, wet texture of the hair in his hand, strangely, was more comforting than he'd remembered. Whenever he was in Ryuuzaki's body, he generally tried not to touch that hair to much. But now, it was slowly becoming something different – something of a link to that body, to that persona, which he periodically rented and used.

The only thing left to do was discern Ryuuzaki's image in the mirror of the ground. Then, he'd be on his way to victory. Once again, Raito's brain seemingly refused to acknowledge what would take place if he didn't manage to see.

When the bells began to ring and he started falling, with the hair buried deep in his mouth, he remembered that he shouldn't be seeing stars. He should feel focused. The moment should become suspended in time, so that, in the few seconds that the ground would become a mirror…

There!

He'd see the truth.

"You are L, the great detective and I am…"

L…Why is it always L, anyway? Why is it never 'Deneuve'or the other of the great three detectives? Ryuuzaki impersonates all of them, anyway. It's not like L is even his real name or anything…so why the fixation?

Raito let his mind rescan the policy he had decided on. This was the first round. The jig was just starting. If he'd known this was what he was signing up for when he'd called his life 'boring' all those years ago, he'd prefer that little wife and kids – along with a nice picket fence – any day now.

But as it was, he had to debate a Ryuuzaki-shaped demon. And win. He was morbidly curious to see how his new strategy would pay off.

"I've always believed you were Kira, Raito-kun" and as he said it, taking care to revitalize all his memories of Ryuuzaki's drawling voice, he could feel rather than see the surprise in the demon's red eyes. "From the moment I met you in the university, I've believed you were Kira."

"Why so certain?" the demon caught on and started probing pretty quickly. But Raito would not let himself be taken aback in this setting ever again.

"Well, first of all…" Raito let himself drawl, almost as Ryuuzaki had done. He was procrastinating once again, of course, only he was doing it in a more subtle, distracting way than before. His policy was still the same. Beat around the bush for the most time, then attack at the very end, before too much information can be leaked. So he continued. "I have found Raito-kun's actions suspicious from the very beginning. The first time I concretely started to suspect you was during our first meeting in the café near the university."

"Please explain." The demon said, and he was grinning again, in that awful way of his. But Raito was not swayed. For fuck's sake, he was a man who'd felt his limbs been torn from tissue to tissue. He could not be intimidated by something as simple as this.

And so, the one hour continued, in which Raito talked about his first intensive 'examination' session by Ryuuzaki. He felt rather vaguely confused by the fact that he could remember everything about meeting Ryuuzaki in such vivid detail, but paid it no mind for the time being. He effortlessly recalled and repeated all the accusations and the percentages Ryuuzaki had used to accuse him, back when they'd both still been reluctant to delve into deeper information. Raito was doing the same thing with the demon, presenting him with accusations based on 'Yagami Raito's' personality rather than evidence.

By the time the session finished, Raito was calm and composed. He was assured he'd be facing the fanfare of victory this time.

He was to be sorely disappointed when the demon smiled at him, politely told him he'd tried to cheat and lost, and then sent him out to his doom.

And so Raito had come to know – and, ironically enough, sympathize – with what had been Ryuuzaki's biggest problem in life: when you know – one hundred percent – that someone is Kira, but you can't use concrete evidence to prove it. L hadn't had the evidence. Raito couldn't afford to disclose it. How ironic that all this was happening when Raito was in Ryuuzaki's body.

Remembering Ryuuzaki's endeavors in life, Raito relived the moment L had drawn his last breath in Raito's arms, knowing but unable to prove Raito's guilt. At the time, Raito hadn't really understood how Ryuuzaki could be so sure. Now he knew what it was like.

This was when Raito realized that his little plan – at least the first part – would never work. L had proved at least this, in his life and death. Raito Yagami's guilt could simply not be proved via psychological, cerebral or emotional manipulation. Facts would have to be involved, in Raito's – and, formerly, L's – misfortune.

Raito may have been surprised at losing the battle so early. However, he wasn't unprepared for the Hands. This time, he strained to discern Ryuuzaki's figure on the rooftop as soon as he was given the chance. He wasn't sure if he could escape the punishment altogether and return to the interrogation so early. After all, that would defeat the purpose of an inescapable punishment, right?

A flash of denim colour blinded him for an eternal instant, and, before he fell to the darkness, Raito vaguely registered that he had escaped it.

Escaped the Divine punishment unharmed.

What kind of God puts rules in punishment?

…perhaps, then…this wasn't punishment at all.

Death is equal

This isn't God. It isn't God who's doing this. As if God would care for me, who's already dead. After you live, there is nothing left of you in the world. That's what I tried – and failed – to change.

But it's not a human either.

If it's not God and it's not a human, then…

..then…

Shinigami

The cruel idea flashed like lightining, with new icy flame, before the pain took over him, and the only thing he could feel was Ryuuzaki's body enveloping his soul, once again.

Practice makes perfect. And perfect he would be.

«Back so soon?» the demon had said. Raito had bit back answers, but mostly questions. His new revelations about the nature of his torture would have to remain unanswered, he realized. At least for the time being.

He'd immediately decided on abandoning his fruitness technique of before. The Death Note story was long enough to occupy seven or nine interrogation rounds, if he was very careful. He could make it. In the 'detective' rounds, he'd debate already existing information and prove the suspect's guilt – it should be easy enough. And in the survival rounds, in order not to be condemned, he'd offer a crucial bit of information – information the demon would not know – and stay innocent for a little longer. Knowing his luck, the last round – and most difficult – would be a survival one. He had to be alert.

They started calmly enough. Raito focused, just as he had before, on the basic premise of the Kira case: the murder of the twelve FBI agents and Raye Penber's involvement. Raito was trying to postpone mentioning the Death Note for as long as humanly possible. Actually, every information that would be provided after L's death was potentially dangerous. Raito wished to debate the same ambiguous points of the Kira case for multiple times, knowing that the more facts he offered, the more likely it was for the suspect to be proven indisputably guilty.

In the second round, in order to escape the predicament, he'd had to mention the nine-day twenty-four hour surveillance. Now, in the third round, acting as a buffer, he was trying to redebate the case of Raye Penber and make it seem as though Raito was guitly without once referring to the surveillance period. Indeed, predictably, it worked. Raito proved the suspect guilty without offering any extra information that could be used in the survival round. In this way, he had proved the suspect guilty again by elaborating on the Penber case and had not offered the incriminating aspects of the surveillance period. When the demon had used the surveillance period as a way to prove himself innocent, however, Raito had stressed that the survellance was not twenty-four-seven and that, had Yagami really been Kira, he could have murdered people while not at home.

Raito was feeling more and more stressed as time went by. The demon had become livid in the third round, when he'd realized that Raito was trying to recycle information from before. Raito steeled his – Ryuuzaki's – stomach, and tried to ignore the horrific image, focusing on the difficult task at hand. Now in the fourth round – the survival stage – the demon, trapped in a cycle, had no choice but to repeat the information of before. When Raito tried to prove his innocence by mentioning the surveillance period, the demon rebuffed him in the same way he had rebuffed the demon in the third round. Then, Raito had stressed that, when not at home, he was always either at school, cram school or the tennis field and that witnesses could attest to this. It had been a narrow call, but he'd suceeded.

This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped, but, in a way, Raito had fulfilled his initial plans: he had trapped the interrogation in a loop. He had offered the demon a very ambiguous early instance of the Kira case, without mentioning the Death Note, and started planting the seeds of debate from there on.

It was during the fifth round, where Raito – as the detective – attempted to keep exploiting the situation, that the demon's countenance – Yagami's countenance – gained an appearance more terrifying than any other time. That was when Raito realized that he was out of time. He had to provide more information and move along the interrogation, or he would lose by default, for being a 'cheater'.

«DNA tissues and fibers of clothing were then collected from the envelopes sent to Sakura TV by the second Kira» Raito was saying, as L, the great detective. He then proceeded to outline Yagami Raito's relationship with Amane Misa – the accused second Kira – and whether it implied Yagami's guilt as well.

And this was how he uncovered the more ambiguous information about the simultaneous surfacing of the second Kira and Amane Misa. He combined that with the finer points of the Penber case and proved that the suspect was Kira.

Then, in the survival round, Raito had rushed to dispel these accusations by saying that Raito Yagami was never actually recorded doing something incriminating with Amane, even if she indeed was the second Kira. He then falsified all the information he had previously debated about the Penber case, and proved his innocence. Misora Naomi's name was meticulously avoided, replaced with 'a relative' or 'a fiancee'.

But the demon seemed to become more and more irate with every passing round. He would grin occassionally, but when Raito would rebuff all his efforts, the devil would become more and more pervertedly satanic in form – truly terrifying. At one instance, in the seventh round, the rival not only had an extremely wide jaw, but a head unnaturally swollen, with a protruding forehead and pear-shaped skull. It was disgusting, but Raito remembered the Hands, and persevered. In the seventh round, he had no choice. He had to progress the plot.

The seventh and eighth round were an endless, torturous debate. This was perhaps the easiest point of the plot to debate from different aspects, but, at the same time, the hardest, seeing as the demon had become so swift and flexible. Raito hadn't been wrong. The adversary became more threatening with each passing moment. He could only hope that the struggle was drawing to an end. In the seventh round, Raito, as the detective, rushed to involve all of Misa's meetings with Raito with the meeting of the first and second Kira.

Then, in the eigth round, he had absolutely no choice but to mention the twenty days he was imprisoned by Ryuuzaki, and how it had proved his innocence. This was a very bad situation that he did not want to be in: having now been informed of the imprisonment, the demon would use the information to try and prove himself innocent in the next round. And this time, in order to show the suspect's guilt, Raito would have to offer even more incriminating information. And if he did, then he would be unable to counter the demon's arguments in the survival rounds. Raito was now hanging on a thread of hope, practically praying that the torture would not progress for more than ten rounds.

With my luck? No way.

Therefore, perhaps the greatest shock came when Raito, still going through a nightmare of pain from being re-transformed into Ryuuzaki for the ninth stage, heard the demon say:

«Congratulations.» and then, with no small amount of reluctance «You have now reached the ninth round.»

At first, Raito felt his elation override all other emotions. But soon, upon seeing the demonic grin he was granted, all excitement and glee died. He became aware of the stakes once more, as the Yagami demon walked to the chair. Absently, Raito had noticed that the demonic countenance suited his own body much more than it did Ryuuzaki's warm, angled bone structure. Or perhaps, he had become more used to it, having seen it in the mirror for many years. He liked to suppose, in his more romantic moments, that what he was fighting was no demon. It was himself. It was Kira. But soon, such thoughts died out, and he'd focus back on the task at hand.

Raito, now made extremely cautious, would take care not to overreact...but why was the demon pacified?

The answer didn't come until the actual interrogation started. Then, Raito understood. So the demon would change the rules of the game at the last minute.

«The rules go as follows:» the demon said, and Raito stared at him expecteantly through Ryuuzaki's black eyes «You are L, the great detective and I am Yagami Raito, the primary suspect for being Kira. You have three hours to...»

But Raito wasn't focusing on the rest of the sentence. He looked down at his palms and could see them clammy and glistening with sweat. He was quite sure he'd never seen Ryuuzaki's body under such stress before.

« I'm sorry, perhaps I misunderstood.» Raito stated, and was relieved that they weren't running in investigation time, or else the demon would have become livid for being interrupted. Instead, the angelic grin would not leave the face with the glowing, ravenous red eyes.

«No, you heard correctly, Raito-kun» the demon said, and Raito felt duly disoriented to be addressed 'Raito' when in Ryuuzaki's body, and by a man who looked like the real Raito to boot. «In this round» the demon continued «We continue as we did before, only for a longer period of time.» the devillish trickster concluded, and Raito realized why he'd been grinning before.

It was another survival round, and a twisted one at that. In retrospect, it was obvious that the tables would have turned in this way.

In this round, which, as the demon stressed, would last not one but three entire hours, Raito would use L's body to interrogate. The plot had now reached a stage where he couldn't prove Yagami's guilt without disclosing extremely vital information about the nature of the death note. Not only that, but there were more bad news: three hours was too long. He'd be forced to reveal all the information. And if he did, then there was no chance in hell that he could survive another round as a suspect. Not to mention that if he lost now, in the ninth round, then eleven endless hours of fighting and thinking would have gone to complete and utter waste.

And the fact that he was in a stranger's body, unaccustomed and uncomfortable, would be a major setback to his thinkiing clarity as well.

But the demon was not kind. He was getting revenge for all the previous eight rounds by means of psychological pressure. He started the interrogation immediately.

More vicious and bloodthirsty than ever before, he attacked all of Raito's arguments' weak spots with alarming precision, forcing Raito to disclose more and more information to prove Raito's innocence. Raito had realized that, unfortunately but not uncharacteristically, he'd been lulled in a false sense of security and underestimated the opponent. The demon was seemingly now showing his true colours.

He wormed his way through every argument, finding loopholes, finding excuses where Raito had meticulously not offered proof, showing that perhaps he had known about the Kira case all along and had been humouring Raito all this time. That was when Raito realized he hadn't been wary enough. He'd been hasty in his will to survive, arrogant. Overconfident.

The only thing he could focus on now was that under no circunstances should he mention the finer points of the existence of the Death Note, because mentioning the existence itself was inevitable. It wasn't this ninth round that Raito was worried about – he'd win this round for sure. The problem was the tenth round. There was no way that he'd be able, as the suspect, to rebuff the arguments he was currently ssaying, as the detective. If the ninth round wasn't the final one, then he was, for lack of better words, royally fucked.

In the tenth round the demon would start revisiting old debates, adding the newfound knowledge, clicking the pieces in place together. Now that he knew of the Death Note, it was a matter of time until he would prove Raito's guilt. Also, the fact that the interrogation lasted such a long time implied that the demon would have all the necessary time to present his arguments.

And Raito was at the point in the story that he could not create ambiguousness by providing more information. From now on, all the information he had was incriminating for the suspect.

He was losing, while winning.

Oh God! He was losing again, just when he'd thought he'd win!!

He latched onto his last hope. Ironically, it was Mikami. If he could prove that Mikami was involved in the Kira case – helped by Takada – then he could perhaps stand a chance in the tenth round, since, as the suspect, he would use Mikami to prove that it was not Yagami who Kira was, it was Mikami. But then, on the other hand, if he made it seem in the ninth round that there was some doubt as to Raito being Kira, then he would lose in the ninth round! Damn it! Just a little longer! He called upon luck, the old devoted mistress which seemed to have abandoned him lately, to give him strength. If there was a God that Killer Raito ever honestly believed in, it would probably be her, right at this moment.

«And this proves that Yagami- kun is Kira» he heard his voice – the deep husky tone that he had learned to associate with his voice – tell a grinning demon. «The fact that Mikami knew when and where the meeting place of the SPK and the L investigation team would take place, without having Takada as a contact, is solid prrof of the fact that Yagami is Kira. » He had said almost everything.

Everything except the very end and the most critical, incriminating clues, like the existence of Shinigami. He'd keep that information as a trump card, and, if the situation called for it, in the tenth round he would reveal the existence of shinigami and claim that Yagami was never genuinely guilty, but always manipulated by the evil force of Shinigami.

The demon had echausted him. However, before either of them had the chance to utter another word, the clock erupted, finally. Finally.

It took a few moments for Raito to realize that it had stopped its incessant ticking altogether, for the first time in all this time. Raito had been subjected to it for more than eleven hours. If he heard anymore of it he believed would squish it with his own hands, consequences be damned!

He'd had the last word.

Even though it was a weak argument, a frail chance, he'd had the last word. So he waited, mentally and psychologically exhausted, for the verdict.

When it was over, he couldn't even hear the demon's voice saying the usual 'Congratulations'. The nightmare was dragging on in his black-haired head. He was unable to stop himself from dropping his head on the tabletop like solid led. The scratchy voice in his neck had become so familiar by now that it was just like using his own – maybe even more pleasant in its deepness. Raito slowly opened his black eyes and perused his own fingers, long and pale, with nails of mediocre state. Being in another body...it felt...as though there was another human there, fighting with him. Even though he knew, with his logic, that Ryuuzaki was never truly there. Even so, Raito couldn't help but wonder, in his exhausted mental state, what Ryuuzaki would do if he knew what Raito was going though right now.

But the demon was never kind, much less when he was grinning. The pain hit Raito suddenly, and he realized he was transforming once more. He didn't know what having a seizure felt like, but he knew this must be it. It hurt. It hurt like hell. And the desperation of the knowledge that there was another round, that he'd have to fight for even longer, was making the pain even more unbearable.

As he rolled in pain on the ground, he realized that something wet was rolling down his face. Tears. Tears of pain were rolling down his cheeks, as a reflex. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what Ryuuzaki's face would look like on the outside when it was crying. Then the pain became too intense, and, for a few moments , he could not think.

The desperation was gripping his heart. Unwilling to admit it, the idea passed his brain that the tears might not be altogether from the pain. He couldn't win...he just...couldn't. This was all he had. It was over. Now he would lose and be sent back to the torture. He felt so utterly exhausted, so unable to funtion, that he supposed that he wouldn't even have the courage to escape the Hands. And even if he did escape, then what? He'd be forced to start debating all over again.

It was a loop. He couldn't escape.

The demon was smarter, after all.

«Congratulations. You have proved to have perseverance» the demon said, in a tone that said he believed anything but. Nevertheless, he was still grinning, and Raito didn't want to watch his familiar face. He knew what was coming next: his doom.

«You have won this competition.»

For an instant, everything froze. Then, without thinking clearly and usure he had heard correctly, he queried.

«What?» it was a particularly uncultured, crude and unfitting way of speech for him, but it expressed his sentiments quite clearly.

«It's over, Yagami-kun.. The ninth round was the final round.»

«But...but...the tenth round...» Raito sputtered, hating the patethic sight he must make.

«I never said anything about a tenth round.» the devil smirked, looking down with his derisive, red eyes. Now his face had taken Ryuuzaki's soft curves and unkepmt hair. Raito averted his eyes.

«But...you acted like...» he said, one last time.

And then the demon chuckled. He actually chuckled over Raito's head, whilst he; proud, smart Yagami, was sprawled on the floor like a bug. «Oh that, I was just messing with you, human. Haha!» a small pause, then more laughter. Raito grit his teeth but didn't say a word of anger.

«So is it over?» he heard his own voice ask – a combination of Ryuuzaki's and his own voice, seeing as he had not fully transformed yet. The boy-genius had expected some blinding light to appear and envelop him, when it was over, or some metaphysical creature to come and lead him out of the torture champer... or the demon to dissipate...or anything really. He wasn't expecting this...normalcy.

«Enjoy your stay» the devil said and walked away. Raito vaguely registered that the demon had just walked through the wall, exiting the room. Well, at least he was finally left alone and in peace...

But he hadn't expected, suddenly, unexplainably, to feel sleepy, of all things.

"Enjoy your stay"

What the hell did that mean? Would he be staying here for long?

The room stayed the same, and all he could think, with a desperate sinking of his heart, was that he still wasn't out of it. Instead of a bright light, he could see only the familiar haunting shadows that the table, clock and chairs cast on the black walls.

Then, from within the blackness, he thought he could discern...something familiar...It was human-shaped...

-the profile of a-

...Misa? he almost croaked, but never managed to utter a single syllable.

He barely managed to see the cuffs of his blue suit materialize on his wrists, before he dropped on the floor, unconscious and not at all peaceful.

a/n: okaaay... well thank God I made that promise to keep the chapters short (!) But since most of my reviewers don't seem to mind long chappies, I don't feel that bad! I hoped you loved it! Stay tuned, guys, for the next horrificatastic chapter!

p.s: the purple button on the lower left is mesmerizing. No, hypnotizing. It is spinning in a vortex of colours. 'Press me, press me 'insert nickname'', it's saying...