Apparition

Chapter 5

Warning: Major spoilers for Death Note: Another Note

Light's eyes snapped open. The teen rubbed the sleep from his eyes and willed his heart beat to calm. He stared at the white ceiling. How could he look at L and Beyond's relationship the same anymore. Beyond felt something primal for L, whether it was love or he wanted complete dominance over L, he didn't know. Either way, it made the situation worse. It scared him the way Beyond Birthday looked at L. He has this intense infatuation with him. Like he was a child with a new toy that he wanted to take apart piece by piece. To have complete dominance over him. Light felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He had never been so worried for another person; he never thought he'd be worried about the world's greatest detective.

He let his head fall sideways, L's bed was empty. L was always in the room when he woke up. His heart rate was back to where it was when he woke up, loud in his ears. He quickly sat up, the room spun. He grabbed his head between his hands and hissed. The room came into focus and he got to his feet. The panic set in as he looked in the bathroom then back to L's bed, it was in complete disarray, the sheets and blankets in an odd pile at the foot of the mattress, this only happened when L actually went to sleep.

His fingers found the cool door knob, he twisted and pulled but the door didn't budge. "God Damn it Beyond!" He yelled and violently pulled at the door, knowing it only locked from the inside. Sounds from the other side reached him. L's voice, then a loud crash. Light's fist slammed against the door. "Open the fucking door!" His voice strained as he yelled. He felt the fear overtake him as he screamed.

This time when he pulled at the door, it opened. He came face to face with L, his eyes wide with bewilderment. "What happened? Did Beyond-" Light started breathlessly until he saw the room. Papers were scattered everywhere, the computers were in pieces on the floor, and the chairs were oddly lined up in a row…. For once, Light was at a loss for words.

"I came out here to get coffee and this happened... It took 36 seconds for Beyond to destroy everything." The dark smudges under his eyes were more prominent, if that was at all possible.

"It's backed up on a separate hard drive right?"

"Yes, of course."

Light gave a sigh of relief, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Good…. Good…." He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. L was alright…. He's alright.

"Oh, dear Lord." Light jumped at Watari's voice. The old man was dressed in a robe and plaid pajama pants. "Ryuzaki, what happened in here?" He immediately looked at Light suspiciously.

Light put in hands up, defensively. "I have nothing to do with this. I'm going to go put some sweats on. Ryuzaki, you can explain everything."

He left L to do all the lying. He seemed pretty good at that. All he wanted to do was get out of that room and forget what happened, forget what Beyond had shown him.

X.X.X

He came out dressed and warm after about ten minutes. Most of the mess had been cleaned up. Watari looked upset and L looked….. exhausted. Had Beyond been showing him things in his sleep? Has he even slept to find out? Either seemed plausible. He watched L pick up a piece of paper with two fingers and hold it up to view what was on it. If he was left to clean the mess, it would never get done.

"I had the others take the morning off so we could clean up. Ryuzaki hasn't been much assistance…." L looked up at the name.

"I can see that. So…. Watari, while I help, tell me about Beyond Birthday." A deep frown appeared on the old man's face.

"Normally, I wouldn't tell you such things but Ryuzaki has given me permission to. Beyond was a troubled boy. I had recognized his intelligence early on and took him under my wing. Ryuzaki was kind to the boy as he was all the children but Beyond mistook it for something more than friendship. Beyond wasn't quite sure how to express these emotions he felt, so he lashed out aggressively. At first, he took to following Ryuzaki around like a lost puppy. It proved to be a nuisance. Once we put an end to it, he started to attack the other children. Beyond physically and verbally abused the other children causing all of them to detest him. I caught him several times attempting to break into Ryuzaki's living quarters. He stole other children's possessions also. As you can see, he was escalating.

After we reprimanded him, he started to lash out at Ryuzaki. At first, verbally. Saying odd things here and there, then he digressed to violence. He started with what he claimed were friendly shoves or accidently hitting Ryuzaki or pushing him down. Ryuzaki started to lock himself in his room for long hours. He didn't like the boy but it seemed impossible to keep him away. We sat down and talked about the boy's future at the school. We knew it was time for him to leave; he was old enough to be on his own. After reviewing his psych profile, we saw he was not emotionally stable enough for the school. A week before he was to leave, he attacked Ryuzaki and tried to murder him. He left before we could send him away. We didn't see much of him after that. We knew he was out there. He sent strange letters to Ryuzaki, sent him… gifts. Mostly severed limbs and other unsavory things. No matter where we went, Ryuzaki would be mailed these items or they would be left at the door. It frightened him greatly. He started to close off then, not going out in public. I knew that if Beyond wanted to hurt him, he would. You of course know of the case in Los Angeles." Watari sighed. "That's…. that is all I know about Beyond. Ryuzaki of course is very secretive; he doesn't tell me many things. Anything else, he will have to tell you."

Light forced a smile, "Thanks Watari. That was really informative. I'm surprised Ryuzaki let you tell me….well, anything…." The elderly man went back to work. L was still examining the same piece of paper across the room, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. It was getting ridiculous. Light shook his head with a fond smile. They had a lot of work to do.

With Light and Watari working together to clean the room, they got it done in about an hour. Watari left not long after that to get new computers and snacks. Luckily, L seemed to have money he could throw around.

Light saw Watari off and turned to face the detective. L had a deep frown on his face; his eyes met Light's with curiosity. "Light, I was thinking about how to proceed with this….. problem. I have a vast knowledge of the occult and the supernatural but I have never come across any legitimate evidence of a psychic. I'm 45 percent sure that if we bring a psychic here some of our questions will be answered." He paused, taking a breath. "Watari has agreed to help find a solution."

Light gave a tired sigh. "I thought Kira would be keeping me awake, now I have a ghost keeping me awake. Things keep getting weirder and weirder…. Ryuzaki did…. Did Beyond…." He was lost in his words and thoughts. Did he want to know the answer? Could he handle the answer? Would L tell him?

"Yes Light?"

Light shook his head, giving a charming smile. "It's nothing." L peered at him for several moments, curious still. "Really, it's nothing. I've got to get dressed and so forth. I'm going out with Misa for lunch. You'll be alright here with Watari?"

"Of course… I didn't know you cared for my wellbeing." A sly look crossed his face. Light hated that look; it usually accompanied L accusing him of being a mass murderer.

Light scoffed. "Of course I care, who else is capable of catching Kira." It wasn't a question; there was no one else in his mind.

X.X.X

Light took a longer shower than he normally would. He was usually being harassed by L, telling him he's taking too long and using all the hot water. He lives to make his life miserable. Light emerged an hour later looking tired but handsome. He wasn't exactly thrilled to see Misa. He did want to get out of the headquarters and take a break. A break from Kira, Beyond, and everything else. Not that Misa was any better. She never stops talking.

Watari had returned with the new computers when he returned to the main room. "Ah, Light before you go, I wanted to let you know I will be looking into some things while you are gone; hopefully this will be over soon and Ryuzaki will be able to focus on the Kira investigation." Light nodded in agreement. L was busy on his laptop; he didn't look up as Misa entered the room a wide grin on her red pouty lips.

"LIGHT!" She cried happily, her arms swinging around him and pulling him into an overbearing hug.

"Hi-Misa-" He gasped and pushed back a little to breathe.

She batted her eyelashes at him. "Did I tell you I got a role in a movie? I'm SO excited! I'll tell you all about it!" She spared a quick glance at L as Light sighed internally. It was going to be a long lunch.

The restaurant Misa chose was surprisingly very classy. Quiet and the servers were very polite.

"I can't believe pervy Ryuzaki let you out of those handcuffs."

Light gave a half smile. "I was as surprised as you. He seemed adamant that they were removed. I was suspicious as to what he was up to but so far, nothing has changed. Well, besides him not being by me every second."

Misa stirred the straw in her fruity drink, lashes lowered. "I've missed you Light; I wish you weren't trying to catch Kira. I want to be with you every second. You never call or text me…."

"I've told you this many times Misa, I'm trying to prove my innocence and the only way to do that is to catch Kira." Light reached his hand across the table and took hers. "When this is all over, we can be together." A half smile played onto her lips then it shifted to a frown.

"What if something happens to you? I don't know what I'd do…." Her gaze shifted to the side. Light wished that he could return her feelings but he couldn't.

"I'll be fine. I'll be fine." He spoke the words, but there was no truth behind them.

X.X.X

When Light returned, L was in the same spot, no surprise there. The computers were set up and the place looked good as new. L looked relieved that he was back, but made no comment.

Light rolled his chair next to L and took his spot at his computer. He opened up his file on Yotsuba. He viewed the list of the higher ups. They all had a lot to gain if the competition died; money and power were their rewards. It really could be any of them. They needed to focus on this group and weed out who couldn't be Kira. It was very time consuming and rather boring. He worked in silence for about thirty minutes before the others arrived. Thankfully, they didn't notice any difference with the computers or paperwork.

Light smiled at his father as he discussed something with Mogi. He missed being at home with his family but he needed to be here with L.

A loud crash startled him from his thoughts. Matsuda yelped at the sound. L's wide eyes met his. Beyond hadn't acted up when the others had been here. There's a first time for everything.

"What was that?" Mogi's voice broke the silence. Before L could answer, the computers flickered then shut off.

"Fuck!" Came a growl from Aizawa. "I hadn't saved any of my documents!"

"Calm down. I will have Watari look into this." L took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed. He shut the phone a moment later. "No answer." His eyes shifted to Light. "Light and I will investigate."

Light shook his head, did L think he was stupid? "I don't think so. I'll go up and check on Watari."

"This isn't a democracy, I'm going." L was as stubborn as Light, it was no use fighting.

"I'll go with you guys." Matsuda chirped, standing up.

Light didn't care either way. Matsuda would probably get scared and run back anyways.

Light took in a deep breathe, hoping everything was alright. He felt it was a trap of some sort but if something had happened to Watari…..

The three of them headed up the stairs; Light first, L, then Matsuda.

They walked in silence and they were soon above the main room. The lights flickered briefly as they entered nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"Watari?" L called, his voice rising louder than Light had ever heard. Nothing…. Something was off about this.

There was an odd static in the air, the hair the back of Light's neck rose. "L, I think we should head back down. I have a bad feeling about this…."

Light heard the other two stop walking. "I concur." L didn't seem worried but he was very good at not showing it.

"Matsuda! What are you doing?" Light turned at the sound of L's shocked voice and gasped in surprise. Matsuda had his arm slung around L's neck, pressing it tightly against the inside of his arm. L's short nails clawed at him.

"Let go of him, now!" Matsuda's face twisted into an unnaturally wide grin, his eyes were a milky color.

Beyond took no notice to Light. "Now…. Where were we?" He leaned in close to L's hair as he struggled to free himself. "Yes…." He hissed, "I was squeezing the life out of you until it," his eyes looked away from L for only a moment. "Intervened. Naughty naughty boy. I'll have to do something about him won't I?" L shook his head furiously.

"No. Leave him…. Out of this…." L said breathlessly, the fight leaving him as he tried to pull in air. Beyond made no response. Light's sight shifted between the two. How was he going to get out of this? Could he overpower Matsuda without injuring him? He just wanted it to stop.

L's eyes fluttered as he struggled to stay conscious. Beyond smiled sweetly at Light, his voice slowly fading out. "I want to show you something Light Yagami. Nighty night." Light panicked, knowing what was going to happen, he couldn't leave L with that psycho. He took a step forward and staggered to the floor as everything faded to black.

X.X.X

The haze slowly lifted from Light's sight. He was standing in grass, surrounded by children and teens dressed in black; his eyes followed theirs to a casket about to descend into the ground. The children had frowns on their faces but no tears in their eyes. Light was disturbed by this. Were they not sad someone died?

He looked to his right to see a younger L and Watari. Watari had a strong hand on L's boney shoulder. "It's not your fault L. We couldn't predict this was going to happen." L made no response to the would be comforting words, his dark hair fell carelessly over his face. He looked up through his lashes and hair to see Beyond, staring at him. Beyond was on the other side of the mahogany casket, his red eyes never wavered. The attention caused L to fidget nervously.

"Wammy….. I don't want him here anymore. He's obscenely obsessed with me." The name threw Light. Wammy? Was that his real name?

"He's just fascinated by you that's all. I wouldn't worry about it L. After what happened here with A, we're going to take extra precautions with the others. This will not happen again." The person in the coffin must be this 'A' they're speaking of. Was he a child too?

L's thumb pressed idly against his bottom lip. "Let's hope not…."

Everything suddenly shifted around him, blurring into an elegant room. Red curtains hung on the large windows, a fireplace lit the dark room. L sat on a maroon couch, his legs pulled up as he munched on strawberry shortcake, the plate balancing on his knees. He looked up as Beyond came into the quiet room, his face twisted in an ugly scowl. He threw himself onto the other couch; his eyes came to focus on L.

"Hello Beyond." L said politely, Beyond's anger didn't seem to concern him.

"…. how do you do it?"

L licked his fork. "How do I do what?"

Beyond leaned forward, fingers fidgeting. "Your job, how do you deal with everything you see?"

"I know that what I'm doing is saving lives, providing justice for those who need it, nothing could be more rewarding. Why do you ask Beyond?"

"A killed himself. He was a good friend. He was the only one who would talk to me besides you…."

"Give the others time, you're different and they're children. They're frightened by your eyes. I must admit, they had me shaken at first. They're unique, special. I know that you are having a hard time; things will change as you get older. You'll see."

Beyond smiled, an honestly happy smile. "Thank you L." He leaned back into the chair, the smile still on his lips. His eyes kept wandering back to L. Beyond seemed normal. He looked like a normal kid, sandy blonde hair, slight sunburn on his cheeks, baggy pants and a blue shirt. He looked so different. How did he turn into a murderer?

There was another flash and he was standing in a house. Dark stains and holes marred the green loveseat. A very young boy walked out, sandy hair…. Red eyes… Beyond. His bottom lip was broken open, blood dribbled down his chin. His eyes rested on Light. This boy had seen too much in his life already.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU AND YOUR FUCKING BULLSHIT!" A man's voice came from another room. A crazed laugh followed, a woman. "You're insane! I want you and that psycho kid out of my house now!"

"Now, now, now let's not go around throwing the word psycho around. He's as sane as me."

"Heh, yeah as insane as you. I tried, I really tried to get you and Beyond help. You have to want it. He's sick, he needs psychological help and you're adding to it by beating him!" Out walked a man, smile lines heavy on his face. A woman followed, her dark hair wild and unkempt. Light could tell she had once been beautiful "I'm leaving, I won't be back." He headed toward the door, but the woman was there, tears of anger poured down her face. Beyond sat down on the filthy couch, his eyes following their movements, completely void of any emotion.

Her hands reached at him, grappling for an arm. "I'm never letting you leave! I love you! I need you!"

He pushed her back. "Don't you fucking touch me. It's over Belief. I can't take it anymore. Goodbye."

A crazed glint appeared in her eyes. "Fine…. Fine…" She walked away from sight. This isn't good, she's up to something. "leave me…. Leave me…" Her words trailed off.

A deep frown remained on the man's face. "Goodbye Beyond. Take care of your mother for me…."

Beyond smiled. "Don't worry about us, I'd worry about yourself." His words chilled Light. With those words, Beyond's mother came out of the kitchen screaming, knife in hand. The man never had a chance. He turned at the sound of her voice, and the blade was suddenly in his neck, it was jerked out and blood spewed from the mortal wound. She laughed and laughed as blood sprayed onto her face and hair. The man's mouth opened in a silent scream, his fingers uselessly clutching the wound as he fell to his knees. Within a few moments, he fell forward to the floor, blood pooling. Belief stood over his body, laughing, tears streaming down her face.

"That's what you get for trying to leave me. You belong to me. Now we'll be together forever. Forever." She turned the knife on herself; jamming it up into her jugular. Beyond said nothing from the couch as two people died in front of him, he only stared at Light with those sinister red eyes. Distantly, Light heard the sound of Belief's body hitting the floor.

"Maybe someday…" Beyond said absently. "Someone will take me away from all of this… death."

To be continued….

AN: Sorry for the late update. My beta has been busy, so it's just me now. Thank you to everyone who's been reading. Special thank you to reviewers! I love them- Keep them coming!