Once, a long time ago, what felt like several lifetimes ago, Rem had had a friend.

Rem had always been an outsider among the Shinigami. She wasn't emotionless or dead inside like a vast majority of them, she wasn't nihilistic like Ryuk, she wasn't stupid like Sidoh. Before she was a Shinigami, she had been a mother, and that was rare among the undead. For some reason, if mothers ever turned to blood rituals, it was usually the one that turned them into a vampire. It helped them live on Earth and kept them eternally young...but most importantly, it allowed them to continue to love their children.

Shinigami had other responsibilities, their immortality depended on the death of human beings. They could not form bonds with humans or vampires without risking execution.

Rem had had a young child, when she had been human. She could hardly remember her face but she was reasonably certain that, like Misa Amane, her daughter had been blond, hazel-eyed and beautiful.

Rem was a strange case among the Shinigami. It was the ones with nothing to lose who turned to this path, not the ones who still had love in their hearts. She had been wordlessly and naturally excluded from the rest of the Shinigami who thought her a freak. Ryuk ridiculed her often in a manner that could be considered good-natured if she didn't know better. Ryuk was interested in her romantically, else he would not give her the time of day.

Gelus had been a breath of fresh air. Turning to the blood ritual after a breakup, he had been stuck in a perpetual state of heartbreak, something the newly childless Rem could relate with. The two of them had spent so much of their time watching the humans and vampires from the seeing hole that they had jumped at the opportunity to become one of the seven observers of the Volturi.

The minute Misa Amane walked into the halls, begging to become a part of the Volturi so that she would be protected from the vampire stalking her had spelled his doom. He fell in love instantly, much to Rem's bemusement.

Of course, despite Gelus's assertions, the council had not accepted Misa's pleas and had sent her away, but Rem had only just managed to stop him from following her.

The next time Misa had entered the halls of the Volturi, it had been under arrest for the murder of her stalker.

Gelus had spoken out desperately against the proceedings, making a strong case for her. He had looked to Rem for help, but she didn't want to risk her neck. After all, if she was interpreted to have feelings for Misa, she would be executed on the spot.

She would regret that decision for the rest of her life.

Hearing Gelus' testimony, the Volturi was swayed, granting Misa her freedom in exile from Transylvania. All would have been well…if Ryuk hadn't been in the halls that day. Ryuk, who had a keen eye for those with affection for vampires. Ryuk, who was romantically interested in Rem and saw Gelus as an obstacle.

A flash of a scythe and a cackle of a Shinigami, and Gelus was dead, leaving Rem with a broken heart and a lifelong debt to fulfil. That was why the minute she heard Misa Amane call her again, she jumped at the opportunity for redemption. She would make it up to Gelus' love, she would fulfil all her wishes no matter where it led her. She would never be a coward again.

Rem floated down the corridors of the detainment centre, on the floor containing the cells where vampires could be imprisoned.

She would do this, no matter what it meant. She would never stand back again.

And if that meant her death, so be it.

"Raito!"

When his father embraced him, the most prominent emotion Light felt was puzzlement.

What the fuck was happening? Why was his father hugging him? Did he know that his son was being held in a house of vampires? Was this some sort of a goodbye?

Light squeezed him back half-heartedly, squirming to get his hands free (he hadn't been hugged this tight since elementary school, and never by his father of all people). "Hello, Otou-san."

The large man pulled away, gripping Light by the shoulders as he surveyed him. Why was he looking at him that way? Like he was worried about him? Since when did his father have this much time to spare?

Chief Yagami straightened his glasses on his nose and ruffled his son's auburn hair. "Are you doing okay, Raito? Are L's accommodations comfortable? I wanted to see you but I haven't been able to return home yet, Amane Misa's been giving us trouble."

Light blinked, getting into character. So his father was showing concern, then. It was strange, but he could roll with it.

He put on a polite little smile. "It's fine, thank you." He looked around, surveying the line of computers against the wall, three of which displayed several different angles of a blond woman strapped onto what looked like a torture machine, a metal frame that stood her straight up without letting her move any of her limbs. His mouth fell open before he could stop himself. "Oh my god."

Before he could rush over to the computers, Soichiro grasped him by the shoulders and turned him away from it. Light looked up to see the older man's brow furrowed in worry. "L did not inform me when you were coming, else I would have switched off the screens. You shouldn't have seen that, Raito. Come with me." And he began to drag Light away, just like everyone has been doing for the past week.

Light broke character long enough to shake his father off. "No, wait, Otou-san, L told me to stay here. Stop pulling me!" He wrenched himself from his father's grasp, his face pink. He didn't want to be rude to his father, but why was everyone treating him like an object to be hidden away? He was Yagami Raito, why wasn't anyone treating him like he was?

"Yagami-san." Ryuuzaki's voice only drove him further up the wall. Light whipped his head towards him, a snarl ready at hand, but L seemed almost rueful. "It is by order of L that Raito-kun remains under constant guard of myself, Matt or you. Amane-san's friend is a direct threat to his life."

The middle-aged man paled. "What? Then why did you bring him here? Where are your safe-houses? Why isn't he with the police right now?"

L popped a gumdrop into his mouth. "This is L's case, he does not wish to involve the police more than necessary. Misa is an international secret, as you have been informed. And as for my safe-house…" The detective sighed. "It has been compromised. That is why I thought it best to have Raito-kun in my most secure facility: here."

"That's bullshit!" His father's eyes bugged out of his skull. "That is utter bullshit, I will not risk my son's life to keep a secret-"

"Otou-san!" Light yelled, catching all of them by surprise. Yagami Soichiro turned his astonished gaze to the brunet.

"Raito?"

Light took a moment, closing his eyes to gather himself. When he opened his eyes again, he had pulled on some approximation of his mask. "Sorry. I wanted to get your attention. I…want to stay here. I can help here and if L says it's safe it should be, shouldn't it?"

"Raito, I have a duty as a father to protect you-" Soichiro started, but Light interrupted him.

"And you will be fulfilling it by dealing with this crisis."

Chief Yagami placed his hand firmly on the teenager's shoulder. "If you're adamant about this, fine. But you will not leave my side for a minute, do you understand? I will protect you with my life."

What was with this sudden affection? Light gave him a hesitant smile. "Sure…"

"Hyuk hyuk."

The three of them immediately whipped around.

Behind them stood what looked like a seven foot tall monster-emo-freak dressed in a rock-and-roll vest and eyeliner around his solid yellow eyes. Light and his father both staggered back, Soichiro tumbling down onto the ground in fright and crying out for help, Light grabbing the edge of a nearby table to keep his balance. The monster furled its large bat-wings and grinned, displaying its razor-sharp shark teeth. "Human families always make me teary-eyed, hyuk. Y'know, since you're all going to die and stuff." The monster had a rough, crackling voice that sounded otherworldly and common-as-dirt at the same time.

L stepped forward, a steely look in his eye. "Welcome, Ryuk."

Shinigami? He's actually a Shinigami?

"Glad to be here, Lawliet. Or what're ya going by right now?"

L's eye twitched. "I'm Hideki. You must be mistaking me for someone else."

"Of course, of course. Maybe I'm mistaking you for your lunatic brother. Or am I?" He stroked his chin. "No, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't mix you two up."

With a heaving sigh, the detective reached over to a drawer, pulling it open and revealing several apples in various stages of decay. He tossed the freshest one to the Shinigami, who caught it gleefully. "Good thinking, Hideki." The monster snarked. The Shinigami ate the fruit in one bite, smacking his fingers.

"Now, then, where's my lady Rem?"