NIRVANA
Prologue.
The wind tousled the blonde hair that shimmered under the sun's last rays. That sky, turned into shades of orange, went unnoticed by the eyes staring at it. Images of a young man with chestnut hair and sharp eyes filled her mind. Light Yagami, a being who had been taken away from her by a figure she once idolized.
That figure, in the eyes of many, was deemed an omnipotent entity; a belief she herself had once held with great conviction when it delivered the justice her parents had so desperately deserved but had been denied by human laws. Now, however, that near-omnipotent god known as Kira had exacted a price, taking from her the person she loved most.
As lost as she was in her memories, clarity came to her swiftly; there was only one step between him and her. Just one step and she would see him once more; just one step and the distance would vanish; just one step and their reunion would be inevitable.
And so she did.
The sensation of falling was instantaneous; all the information her senses could relay was eclipsed by the image of him. Her mind replayed every detail about him, ignoring the fleeting view of her surroundings and the pressure of air rushing past her ears. All that existed was him, and he was the last thing she saw before the most intense pain she had ever experienced gave way to darkness.
At least, that was the case until the feeling of grass pricking her skin brought her back to consciousness. Her senses picked up nothing else; the silence was profound. However, the light striking her eyes forced them open. Before her, she found a landscape she never expected to see.
The soft grass beneath her body felt strange, almost unreal. She rose slowly, feeling her muscles awaken from their inertia. Her eyes adjusted to the light surrounding her, revealing a vibrant, green landscape, brimming with life. Nothing in this place resembled the world she remembered.
She walked a few steps, drawn by a distant whisper. Each step she took seemed to resonate through the ground, as if the place itself was alive. The air was filled with fresh and unfamiliar scents, and the sound of a nearby stream guided her forward.
She found herself before a clearing where crystalline water flowed serenely. There, at the edge of the stream, she saw a familiar figure. A young man with chestnut hair and sharp eyes. His lips moved in a soundless whisper, but the name they formed needed no sound to be understood.
-Light...- she whispered, feeling a mixture of disbelief and hope. She took a step forward, reaching out her hand, but the figure vanished like an illusion.
Confused and anxious, she sat by the stream, dipping her hands into the cold water and letting reality wash over her. Where was she? Was this a new opportunity, or merely a dream she did not want to wake from?
But it felt so real.
The sensations that gripped her senses confirmed it. Perhaps the image of Light had been a trick of her mind; however, the touch did not deceive her about the cold liquid slipping from her hands.
Whatever this place was, it was real.
Her mind had cleared enough for her memories to sharpen; she had indeed jumped from that building. That had been the last action she had taken before waking up in this place.
Perhaps she hadn't died and was merely in some kind of coma.
A thought that managed to calm her. As she recalled those few seconds before leaping into the void, she became aware that she hadn't sought to die, she only wanted to reach Light to end the suffering.
Dying had never been part of her plan.
She remained there, motionless, trying to process the reality of her situation. Uncertainty and fear began to dissipate as she embraced the inevitable. She was most likely dead. But what did that mean? What purpose did this place hold?
Suddenly, the whisper she had heard earlier became clearer, as if the very earth itself was speaking to her. She followed the sound, each step resonating through the strange landscape. The stream beside her seemed to glow with its own light, guiding her forward.
At last, she reached an open space, surrounded by tall trees whose leaves whispered in the wind. In the center of the clearing, she saw a figure she instantly recognized: Light Yagami, standing and gazing at her with those sharp eyes she loved so deeply. This time, he did not vanish like an illusion.
-Light...- she whispered, feeling her heart swell with hope.
Light smiled at her softly, but there was something different in his eyes, a serenity she had never seen before. He approached her and extended his hand.
-Misa, I've been waiting for you,- he said in a voice that was gentle yet firm. -Here, we can start anew, without the burden of our past. This is a place to find peace and redemption.
Taking his hand was easy, holding herself back was not. She longed to wrap her arms around him and never let go. There was still difficulty in accepting what was happening. Everything seemed so unreal, but his hand, as it held hers and squeezed gently, spoke of warmth, of reality.
Light was here, by her side.
Every previous thought, every doubt she had harbored about her state and this place, seemed to evaporate in his presence. Once again, nothing else mattered, only his presence and the words he had spoken.
Words that felt like a dream; never in life had he spoken to her with such gentleness and affection. Now that it was happening, her entire body vibrated with ecstasy.
It was an energy she conveyed when she gently pulled him to follow her, never letting go of his hand. Surprisingly, Light allowed himself to be led by her, a smile gracing his lips.
She had no set destination, nor did she know where they were. She simply wanted to walk in his company. Free from the weight of uncertainty and the need to analyze this reality, she finally allowed herself to enjoy the moment.
The colors were so vivid.
She had been so focused on the marvel of the landscape and the warmth of his hand in hers that she hadn't noticed when he had reversed the roles; now, it was he who was guiding her.
It didn't matter; she trusted him. However, Light had remained silent the entire time; he hadn't said anything more after the words he had spoken during their reunion. That puzzled her.
She truly longed to hear his voice and have his attention once again.
-Light…- Her voice came out as an uncertain whisper. He continued walking, looking straight ahead, without any indication that he had heard her.
-Wait…- This time, there was more strength in her tone, yet his response remained the same.
-Light!- The call came as she stopped in her tracks, but it was a futile action. His grip urged her forward once more, all without turning to look at her. -Stop!
She could no longer see his face; the angle she managed to perceive only revealed part of his hair, cheek, and ear. However, his demeanor seemed more rigid, and all the calm and serenity he had previously conveyed had vanished, leaving a sort of tension hanging in the air.
His grip on her hand had also become stronger: the sense of being in a refuge had turned into a feeling of imprisonment. She tried to pull away, but Light tightened his hold, quickening his pace.
Internally, she tried to calm herself. She wanted to believe it was all in her imagination, that everything was fine with Light, that he was simply in a hurry to get somewhere. Despite this reasoning, she could feel the fear and anguish that had already surfaced growing more and more.
One last attempt made her plant her feet firmly on the ground, as hard as she could. This seemed to work; he stopped immediately and finally turned to face her.
It left her breathless.
His eyes, which had recently looked at her with serenity and sweetness, now gazed at her with that gleam devoid of all affection. The reproachful expression was etched on his face. It was an image of him she had forgotten.
The sight made her step back unconsciously. She had barely taken that step when Light closed the distance between them again. In a movement that caught her off guard, feeling his body so close to hers clouded her mind once more.
It was very unusual to receive a hug from him; it was generally she who sought him out, not to mention that her displays of affection were not always well received. So this action was something extraordinary and wonderful to her senses, so much so that his previous gesture was completely forgotten.
A moment that seemed to slow time.
-Misa,- he began in a soft tone full of sweetness, which gradually took on a darker note, -I thought this was what you wanted, to be together forever.
The way he had spoken the last phrase froze something inside her; a sensation that came accompanied by his firm grip when she tried to pull away to look at his face. His strength immobilized her. A wave of panic briefly coursed through her, before reason tried to justify what was happening.
Any explanation her mind tried to provide for this died when she felt Light's arms thinning and hardening. Where his hands had been holding her, something now pricked her. All sensations of warmth and solidity had turned into a coldness and hardness she had never felt before, something that deeply confused her.
For a moment, enough space opened up for her to look at Light. What she saw horrified her; what was holding her was no longer him, but a tree. One whose purpose was to envelop her with its branches and plants until there was no space left between her body and its trunk.
Her voice couldn't even find a way to come out; the suffocation caused by the force with which the tree embraced her had killed any means of expression. She tried to tear every branch holding her with her hands, but her strength was nothing compared to her captor's.
Time seemed to dissolve as her consciousness slowly slipped away. The initial dizziness had cut off almost any thought she could have. Only the echo of anguish and despair remained, coupled with the sensation of suffocation. Barely any air made its way into her body.
She felt her arms fall and her body relax as the tree's grip on her tightened, nearly enveloping her completely. Momentarily, her vision blurred before darkness began to claim her.
That was when it happened; at that point, where she teetered between unconsciousness and wakefulness, a force contrary to that of the tree pulled her in the opposite direction, with enough strength to break the branches that had imprisoned her and pull her away from the trunk.
It was like being born anew; air rushed back into her lungs, and the coughing fit that followed was the reaction. Slowly, she began to perceive the world around her again; her vision cleared, and her thoughts became increasingly coherent.
When she was finally fully conscious, she realized she was sitting on the grass. Something, or someone, had freed her from that nightmare. She could feel the presence behind her, so silent and still; watching her.
The realization took her breath away, an uneasiness building as she became certain she was being stared at. The prickling sensation on her skin only deepened her reluctance to turn and face whatever it was behind her.
After what could have been a long while, her paralysis was interrupted when she realized that the figure wouldn't make any move for the time being. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she rose slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, and gradually turned to face whatever was in her company.
What she saw left her stunned, breathless.
L Lawliet was there, standing a meter away from her, staring at her as intensely as he used to on occasions when he was alive. Everything about him was identical to how she had last seen him so many years ago, before Light informed her of his death. The detective who had died wanting to capture Kira. At least that's what her muddled memories told her.
-Amane-san.- He finally broke the silence without averting his gaze. His voice was just as she remembered. -You must know that this place will grant whatever you desire, but every illusion will only be a trap.
She could barely process what she had just heard. L, the great detective who had spent so much time pursuing Kira, was there, standing in front of her, giving her an ominous warning. A sense of disbelief overwhelmed her, but there was no doubt: his voice, his gaze, everything about him was unmistakable.
-A trap?- she managed to ask, her voice barely a whisper. -What do you mean by that?
He didn't avert his gaze from hers as he responded, in that calm and analytical tone of his.
-This place is not what it seems. It can fulfill your deepest desires, but at a price. Everything you see here might be an illusion, a reflection of what you long for, but those illusions can trap you and make you lose yourself.
His words sent a chill down her spine. The idea that this place, which seemed like a refuge, could be a trap filled her with fear.
-Why are you here?- she asked, trying to understand his presence.
He didn't respond; he simply took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
-Follow me, Amane-san,- his tone was so formal and distant that it reminded her of the times when she was his primary suspect for being the second Kira in his eyes. -We must find a way to escape this place before it traps you forever.
Despite the initial confusion and still trying to process the information, L's presence, although unsettling, gave her an inner sense of hope.
Being in his company was better than the solitude of this place.
Moreover, she knew his skills and intelligence, and how capable he had been. There was no one better who could offer her help.
So when he turned his back to move forward, without a second of hesitation, she began to follow him.
Now heading in the opposite direction from the path where the supposed figure of Light had led her, she cast one last glance, only to see how the tree that had nearly captured her was withering; its trunk, once strong and smooth, now creaked and splintered.
Not wanting to see more of how that life faded away, she quickened her pace to try to catch up to L.
END OF THE PROLOGUE... CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 1.