Chapter II

A black blade. That’s what the white bow had turned into. A blade as dark as twilight.

Even as Light laid on his bed, sheathing and unsheathing the sword, it was still unreal to him. Perhaps, when he went to sleep, it would turn out to be all a dream. It had only been two hours ago. His body was still buzzing with the fight.
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They both swung. Light pushed forward with his body. The sound of bone scrapping against metal made his teeth hurt, but he bore against it. He and the ari-yurei flew back, sliding on their feet. Light jumped forward, running at the demon. It put up it’s tail to block, it seemed. Light swung his sword forward.

“Hyaaa!” It was like a hot knife going through a stick of butter. His blade cut through the calcium, or whatever, of the bone. It slashed downward. The monster’s face split in half and it continued down his front until it was completely cut in half.

There was an explosion of particles that disappeared in the wind. Light stood up straight, and inhaled and exhaled. He looked back and saw the guy was walking away.

“O-Oi!” he called out. The guy looked back at him. “Wait! I have to ask you some things!”

The man gave him a cat-like smile. It looked creepy. “You’ll see me soon. You owe me a bow, anyway.”

Light blinked. A bow? He looked down at the blade. Oh yeah, this was his bow. It had turned into this katana.

The guy turned his back to Light. “It’s yours now. Keep it.” He bent his knee ready to take off.

“Wait!” Light called out again, “At least give me your name.”

There was a pause. The guy looked back at him. The streetlamp made his clothes glow.

“Ryuuzaki.”

And then he jumped from the ground, to the telephone pole, to the rooftop, and he was gone.
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Shiiink. Light put the katana in the scabbard and held it above his head. The wood it was made from was thick, sleek, smooth, and polished; he could see his eyes reflected back at him.

Someone knocked on his door. “Onii-chan. I need help on my English homework.”

“Okay, hold on.” He dropped the sword behind his bed, making sure no one saw it, then walked over and opened the door. “What is it that you need help on?”

“Prepositions,” she said, slipping by him and going to his desk, “I don’t understand this sentence. Here.”

He looked over her shoulder. “Well, first off, English isn’t gender specific. So change this.”

“Okay.”

“Alright, now, do you know the boot rule?”

“The what?”
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Ryuuuzaki sat on the balls of his feet, looking over the courtyard of the mansion. There were two little boys playing flashlight tag.

An older gentleman came out from the front door. He leaned on a cane with a gold ball handle.

“Okay boys, it’s time for bed,” he called out to the children. “Get inside and brush your teeth. I’ll be in shortly to tuck you in.”

“Okay Grandpa!” The boys hurried inside, pushing one another to get there first.

The old man smiled. Then looked up at Ryuuzaki perched on the gate. “To what do I owe this lovely visit, little L?”

Silently, Ryuuzaki jumped down from the gate in front of the old man. “Quillish-taicho*.” He greeted him by bowing. “I’ve come needing a favor.”

The man waved his hand. “Little L,” he smiled warmly, “I’m retired. Call me Wammy.” Ryuuzaki nodded. “Let’s come inside. It’s far too cold for my bag of bones to be out here.”

Wammy led Ryuuzaki inside his manor and up a flight of stairs. They entered his office where a crackling fire was in the corner. There was a tray of cookies and two teacups waiting for them. Ryuuzaki had the that Wammy knew he was coming; the old man could be very clever.

Wammy sat down in one of the squishy leather chairs. Ryuuzaki sat down in the opposite chair, sitting like a gargoyle. He reached over and picked up a chocolate chip cookie. It was fresh backed and gooey in his mouth.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a pleasurable visit, is it?” Wammy said, pouring some hot tea into his and Ryuuzaki’s cups.

“I need you to create me another bow without the higher ups knowing,” Ryuuzaki said, taking his tea and dropping a handful of sugar cubes from the bowl. “It has to be exactly like before, inside and out.”

Wammy nodded, sipping his tea. Some tea dripped from his mustache, but he wiped it off with his napkin. “And the reason you need a replacement bow without the council knowing?” His sparkling blue eyes peered over at Ryuuzaki.

Ryuuzaki took a sip from his tea. “It’s been disposed of.” He took another cookie, a sugar cookie, and dunked into his tea.

“If you’re asking me to do something behind the council’s back,” Wammy said in an icily, sweet voice, “Then I suggest you tell me the whole story, Little L.”

Ryuuzaki mentally shivered. You didn’t run circles around Wammy. “There was an ari-yurei. It quickly drained me of spirit power. Then there was this human.” Ryuuzaki gripped his teacup with both hands. “He could see me. When he took my bow, something happened. His spirit energy sky-rocketed. It was beyond anything I ever felt. And it didn’t feel anything like mine or yours. He looked different. He had on the garments of the Elite, but they were black.”

Wammy peered at him. “Black garments of the Elite?”

He nodded, staring at the dark liquid in his cup. “His garments were black. My bow had been transformed into a black blade.”

Outside an owl hooted. Ryuuzaki nibbled on his cookie. “He looked…like him.”

There was a pregnant pause between them. Wammy stirred his tea with his spoon.

“L,” he said slowly, “I shall make your bow. You will have to give me sometime. Two months in the least to get everything right, but I should have a temporary bow for you in about three days.”

Ryuuzaki nodded and stood up. “Thank you Wammy.”

The old man stood up, too. “What? No hug goodbye? Who knows when you’ll come to see me again? I am an old man. I could croak any minute, and you’re going to be so sad, saying “I wish I had spent enough time with my…”

Ryuuzaki stepped over and wrapped his arms around Wammy. Wammy smiled and patted his head. Then Ryuuzaki pulled back and went to the window and opened it.

He looked back to the old man, and gave a small smile. “Thank you…Jii-chan*.”

“L.” Ryuuzaki looked back. “If this human you say has that much power, and wields the black blade, you may have to protect him from more than just ari-yureis.”

He nodded firmly. Then jumped.
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Light’s seat was next to the window. The lights were turned off. The projector was set in the middle of the room and flashing the slideshow of a student’s late presentation. His voice was a low mumble and no one was paying attention; even the teacher’s head kept bobbing up and down.

His mind kept flying away to the black sword under his bed and to Ryuuzaki. He had left before Light could question him, and he had lots of questions.

The presentation was over and one of the students shook the teacher awake. She jumped and looked around embarrassed as another student turned on the lights.

“Okay, very good presentation, Ugami,” she said, walking back up to the front of the room, “Now, let’s all take out our books and turn to page forty-three. We’ll be starting on…”

Everyone’s heads turned to the door when it opened. It was the student council president. He bowed politely. “Sorry to intrude, sensei, but we have a new transfer student from Europe.”

The teacher blinked and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. “A transfer student? I never got any word.”

The student council rubbed the back of his neck. “It was short notice, but we have all his paperwork and he is in your class.”

“Well, okay,” she turned to the class, “Everybody, we have a new student. Come on in and introduce yourself.”

In walked in the transfer student. Light’s pencil snapped in half in his hand. He wore their uniform except his shirt wasn’t tucked in and his tie was loose.

It was Ryuuzaki.

He smiled widely, looking like a cat. “Good morning everyone,” he bowed politely, “My name is Hideki Ryuuzaki. I am from France, and I like sweets. Please take good care of me*.”

Some of the student girls leaned in and whispered. French, eh?

“Thank you, Ryuuzaki,” the teacher said with a plastic smile, “Let’s see…where can I put you?…”

A couple of girls’ hands shot into the air. They wanted the exchange student to sit next to them.

“I happen to know Yagami-kun,” Ryuuzaki said. Several heads turned to look at Light, “We met after my family and I moved here.”

‘Dammit Ryuuzaki.’

Ryuuzaki sat down in the seat next to Light. The student that usually occupied that desk was absent. Tomorrow, Ryuuzaki will be moved to another desk. Why was he here anyway?

“Okay everyone, like I said earlier,” the teacher directed the class, “We’re going over translations today. Open your books to page forty-three.” The class groaned, but obeyed and pulled out their books. Ryuuzaki pulled a spare book from the bottom of the desk.

Light did a double take when he saw Ryuuzaki. Ryuuzaki was sitting on the balls of his feet with his knees to his chest, while sitting in the desk. Who sits that way? He looked like a gargoyle.

“Ryuuzaki,” the teacher called out. Light turned his head to the window. Here we go… “Do you know how to translate Japanese into English?” Light refrained himself from dropping his head on the table.

“Yes ma’am,” he answered.

“Please translate paragraph one.”

Ryuuzaki stood up with the book in his hands. Light watched. Did Ryuuzaki really know English?

He took a breath and opened his mouth.

“He never imagined to hear the sound of her voice calling out his name. Her hand was weak in his, but her tiny, bony fingers interlocked with his. "Goodbye, my love," she whispered in her final breath, her voice like the fading wind, "I shall see you in the Spirit World, where we will travel among the clouds and our spirits will fly with the birds and the angels, and in death, we will live.””

It was perfect. Not a single flaw. There wasn’t any pause of mispronunciation at all. He sounded like a natural born English-speaking American. Not even Light could do that good because of his Japanese accent. The class awed at him. Another point for him in the girls’ department.

“Can you speak French?” came a high pitch squeal. It was Misa. She was almost standing up in her chair to look at Ryuuzaki. “I mean, you’re from France, right?”

Ryuuzaki smiled at her. “Oui. Je parle le français.”

Every girls’ mouth dropped open and they shared the same goofy smile. Even the teacher was in awe of him.

“Translate that paragraph into French,” she commanded, “Please, Hideki-kun.”

He lifted the book again. “Il n'a jamais imaginé pour entendre le son de sa voix appelant son nom. Sa main était faible dans son, mais ses doigts très petits, maigres se sont emboîtés avec son. "Au revoir, mon amour," a-t-elle chuchoté dans son haleine finale, sa voix comme le vent se fanant, "je vous verrai dans le Monde d'Esprit, où nous voyagerons parmi les nuages et notre humeur volera avec les oiseaux et les anges et dans la mort, nous vivrons.””

No one spoke French, so there was no way to tell if he was right, but he sounded right. He sounded perfect. The girls whispered amongst themselves as Ryuuzaki sat down.
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Ryuuzaki was perfect. There was nothing else to it. Not only was he multilingual, he was athletic and genius as he had shown in their later classes. His schedule was exactly like Light’s, which he surmised Ryuuzaki did on purpose. Light felt a twinge of jealousy and annoyance, but he had to remind himself that Ryuuzaki was also not human.

After school, Light had gotten a note from Ryuuzaki saying he wanted to speak with him on the rooftop.

Light climbed up the stairs and opened the door to the rooftop. The sun hung brightly up in the sky, shining it’s powerful light down on the world. Ryuuzaki was sitting next to the door, sucking on a lollipop and waiting for Light. He stood up.

“We’ve got things to talk about,” he said.

Light nodded. “Yes we do.”

Ryuuzaki walked in front of Light, staring him down. “Beyond this world is the world I am from. It is called Mu*. It is where the departed souls of this world go.”

Light’s brow wrinkled. “Mu? What kind of name is that?”

“It is called Mu because the good souls and the bad souls are taken there,” Ryuuzaki answered, “A soul is a soul, whether sinned or pure. There is no Heaven or Hell as humans believe. Mu is simply the balancing part of worlds.”

Light nodded. “Then, what are you?”

Ryuuzaki stuffed his hands in his pockets, pausing. “I am a Shinigami*.”

His eyes widened and his lips departed slightly. “Sh-Shinigami?”

Ryuuzaki nodded firmly, “Among the Shinigami are another group called the Elite. I was once one of these. The Elite is the most skilled of the Shinigami. It is the highest level one can become. An Elite is distinctive by the letter on his garments.”

Light remembered seeing him for the first time. On the breast of his vest was an L. It then occurred to Light what Ryuuzaki had said.

“You said you were once an Elite,” he said, “What happened?”

Ryuuzaki’s eyes looked away to the sky. A cloud covered the sun and cast everyone in a shadow. “I was demoted for something I did. There’s nothing more to it.”

It was apparent that he didn’t want to discuss what had happened. Light respected this and didn’t broach the subject any longer.

Ryuuzaki continued with his lecture. “That monster you saw was called an ari-yurei. When a soul is full of sorrow and misery, it becomes dark. If the darkness becomes too much to bear, the soul will split and reform and become an ari-yurei. Ari-yureis devour lost souls in the human world, or humans with significant spirit force.”

“You mean…” Light swallowed, “They eat humans, too?”

A firm nod. “Ari-yureis can only see spirits. Normal humans to them are nothing more than gray blobs and have no taste. So when a human has abnormal spirit force, it’s like their favorite treat. It attracts them like nothing else, and they crave it, chase it. It drives them wild for it.

“You see, Yagami-kun?” Ryuuzaki’s dark eyes locked onto Light’s round ones. “All the ari-yureis you’ve seen have been after you.”

Light’s eyes widened. His chest twisted inside. Him? Those demons had been after him?

His mind flashed to his little sister’s smiling face on that day ten years ago.

“Onii-chan.”

Light’s hand crawled up his chest and covered his heart, as if to wave the pain aside. “So, I’ve been causing more and more demons to come.”

“There’s no reason to get depressed about it.” Ryuuzaki’s voice cut into Light’s thoughts, “You had no idea that you were what’s drawing ari-yureis here. I didn’t even know what it was until yesterday.”

Ryuuzaki sat down, if you could call it that. He sat like he had in class. “I want to get back to the subject of the Elite, because it concerns you.”

Light lowered himself to the ground and sat on his knees in front of Ryuuzaki. The man in front of him sucked on his lollipop for a while.

“There used to be twenty-six Elites,” Ryuuzaki suddenly said, not removing his lollipop from his lips, “But there was a war. Now only eight remain. I was too young to participate in the war. To become an Elite, you must be the best in your division, surpassing all others. It is then you are given a letter. My letter was an L.”

Light remained silent and continued to listen. His mind was buzzing with this new information. Was? But, he still bore the L on his outfit, didn’t he? Light didn’t press the matter.

“On your back was the letter K.” Ryuuzaki continued, “It took me over three-hundred years to become an Elite, and yet, you only touched my bow and were given the black blade and the letter K.”

Light couldn’t stop himself. “Is the K significant?”

Ryuuzaki didn’t say anything for a while. The only sound was his sucking on his lollipop. The red had dyed his lips, making it look like he had a faint cover of lipstick. He removed the stick from his mouth.

“No,” he said, “There’s nothing significant that comes to mind.”

Crunch. Crunch. Ryuuzaki chewed on the candy, spitting the stick out and throwing it over his head. He didn’t look at Light.

“There are four elements, as you may have heard of: fire, water, earth and air. However, there are two more elements: light and darkness. When someone hears the term ‘darkness’ they immediately think evil, but this is not true. Without darkness, there is no light. However, even without light, there is still darkness.

“Having light or darkness as your element is extremely rare. Because it’s so rare, it is difficult to train because it is not taught like the other elements.” Ryuuzaki’s eyes seemed far away, like he was reminiscing over something. “My element is light. No one could train me because they didn’t know how.”

Ryuuzaki’s eyes lifted up to Light’s. “Ironic, how your name is Light, and your element is darkness.” Light swallowed. Ryuuzaki looked down to the floor. “I guess the only way is to train you myself, but that’s going to be hard. I’m not very good at training. Especially without my bow.”

“Wait,” Light interrupted, “I never agreed to be trained in anything. I never agreed to be any kind of Elite or whatever. I’m just a human. And don’t misunderstand me, but this all sounds like one of the old animes I used to watch as a little kid.”

Ryuuzaki’s eyes lifted back up to him. “Yagami-kun, your fate was set when you changed my bow to the black blade. It is unchangeable. However, if you don’t wish to take part in your duty, that is your decision.” He rose. “However, Yagami-kun, keep in mind that even if you choose to ignore this new change of fate and not become a Shinigami, it is not just you who will be targeted, but those around you.”

Light stood up abruptly. “What? I thought I was the reason those ari-yureis were here!”

“You are, Yagami-kun,” Ryuuzaki said, his haunting eyes boring into Light, “But ari-yureis are not picky. If they can’t have the filet minion, then they will settle for a ham sandwich in the meantime.” He turned his back to Light. “But that is your choice.”

He took a step forward, but stopped. “Give it some time to think about it. In three days, I will have my new bow complete. If you have not come to me with your decision by then, I will move on, but if you change your mind, use this to reach me.”

Light caught in his hand what Ryuuzaki threw at him. He brought it up to his eyes to inspect. It was a whistle that looked like a bird. It was all white and looked like it had been whittled, but it didn’t feel like wood.

“Just blow it when you need me. It will only work for the next three days, though, and only once.” Ryuuzaki smiled. “Sayonara, Yagami-kun.”

“W-Wait!”

But Ryuuzaki was already gone. It was only Light on the roof. He looked at the whistle and then out to the world around him. His mind was numb with a giant load of information. He was usually very good at storing and understanding large amount of information, but now his brain seemed to be leaking.

Could he really do it? Become a Shinigami or an Elite, or whatever? Why had the bow transformed? And Ryuuzaki was obviously lying about the letter K. It had some significant meaning, but what?

And why would Ryuuzaki withhold from telling it?
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*taicho- captain
*Jii-chan- grandfather
*Please take care of me- a Japanese greeting or introduction
*Mu-Nothing
*Shinigami- Death God (God of Death)