Chapter Text
A fine rain fell over Tokyo like a persistent gray veil, fogging the windows of the Yagami family’s luxurious apartment. Inside, the atmosphere was just as heavy, thick with a silence that cut deeper than the cold outside. Light Yagami, standing by the window, watched the droplets slide down the glass. His reflection showed a young man who was nothing short of impeccable—pressed uniform, upright posture—but his brown eyes, usually sharp with keen intelligence, now held only a profound resignation.
—Light —his father Soichiro’s voice broke the ice
—. This isn’t the end of the world. It’s an opportunity.
Light turned slowly. His father was seated in his leather armchair, hands clasped on the desk. His mother, Sachiko, beside him, offered a smile tinged with worry.
—Your father’s right, dear —she said—. The Amane family is… influential. This alliance will secure your future. All of our futures.
“Alliance.” That was the key word. It wasn’t a marriage of love, but a transaction. The Yagamis, a respected family of police officers but with limited finances, would tie their fate to the Amane dynasty, industrial tycoons of immense wealth. In exchange for an injection of capital to save them from the silent ruin looming over them, Light would give his life to Misa Amane, the family’s only daughter.
—I understand, Father —Light replied, his voice calm, hiding the inner storm. He was brilliant, too brilliant, and he grasped the cold logic of the situation. But his heart, that territory he had always controlled with precision, rebelled with a clumsiness that exasperated him—. I won’t let you down.
Later, in an elegant and discreet café, Light met the woman who would be his wife. Misa Amane was a young woman with blonde hair and large, expressive eyes that sparkled with genuine curiosity. She wore a black dress with lace details, and her laugh rang like tiny bells.
—Hi! —she said, blushing slightly as she sat across from him—. I’ve… heard so much about you. They say you’re the brightest student in Japan.
Light, feeling heat rise to his cheeks, looked away for a moment. He was awkward in these scenarios, where logic wasn’t enough.
—They exaggerate —he murmured, fidgeting with the teacup between his hands—. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Misa.
The date, if it could be called that, unfolded with an unexpected sweetness. Misa was energetic and sincere, seemingly unaware of the cold agreement binding them. She spoke of music, fashion, her dreams. Light, for his part, found his initial shyness fading a little in the face of her candor. There was chemistry, no doubt; a fragile, clumsy connection built on nervous smiles and glances that met and then fled.
—I like you —Misa confessed, at the end of the afternoon, looking straight at him—. I like you, Light. I know this started for… other reasons. But I think we could be happy.
Light watched her, and for a moment, a pang of guilt pierced his chest. She was a good person, deserved more than a husband whose heart wasn’t fully there. He deserved more too, but his sense of duty weighed heavier than his desires
—You’re very kind, Misa —he replied, offering a small, sincere smile—. And… yes. I think we could try.
The following days were filled with preparations. The wedding would be lavish, a spectacle to seal the alliance before society. The pressure mounted, and Light felt like an actor rehearsing a role he hadn’t chosen. The night before the ceremony, anxiety overwhelmed him. He needed air, an escape, even if just for a moment.
Without thinking, he headed to the forest bordering the city limits, an ancient and silent place where moonlight filtered through the branches like silver threads. He walked aimlessly, mentally repeating his vows, feeling the weight of the wedding ring in his pocket. It was a simple gold band, but in that moment, it felt like a chain.
Exhausted, he stopped in a clearing. The forest was immersed in an unnatural silence. Nervous, he took out the ring. He needed to practice, to ensure he wouldn’t drop it the next day, that his words wouldn’t falter. With a trembling hand, he found a low branch, a surface to simulate his fiancée’s hand.
—I, Light Yagami… —he whispered to himself, sliding the ring onto what he thought was a knot in the dead wood.
But it wasn’t wood.It was cold, slender, and… shaped like knuckles.A dry crack echoed in the stillness, and the ground beneath his feet began to shift. Light, heart pounding in his chest, took a step back, eyes wide with terror. From the black earth emerged a skeletal hand, followed by an arm, and then, a full figure.
He was a young man, pale as the moon, with dark, unruly hair and enormous, deep eyes that watched him with infinite curiosity. He wore dark, tattered clothes, soaked in soil and time. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, as if waking from a very long sleep, and then, a sweet, sad smile curved his lips.
—Ah… —the specter exhaled, his voice a melodic whisper that slithered between the trees—. So you finally… accepted.
Light was paralyzed, unable to speak, to breathe. He could only stare at the supernatural being before him.
The ghostly figure tilted his head, and his large eyes settled on the gold ring now gleaming on his bony finger.
—A deal, then —he murmured, extending his skeletal hand toward the terrified Light—. Till death do us part… though, in my case, I must admit I arrived a bit early to the appointment.
The moon shone brighter in that moment, illuminating the surreal scene: the living groom, trembling with fear, and the corpse groom, offering his hand for a dance that promised to be eternal.
⋰˚☆⋰˚☆⋰˚☆⋰˚☆
The first sensation was the smell of old dust, melted wax, and something sweetly putrid. Then, the sound of a discordant melody that sounded like a waltz dragged from the depths of the earth. Light blinked several times, trying to clear his blurred vision. His head was a drum echoing with the frantic beats of his heart.
—Where…?
The words died on his lips. He wasn’t in the forest. He was seated on a cracked leather stool, facing a worm-eaten wooden table. Around him, the scene was surreal: a low-ceilinged bar lit by candles burning with a bluish flame. Figures moved, swaying slowly to the jarring music, but something was terribly wrong. A gentleman with half his cheek hanging off raised a dripping glass in a toast. A lady in an old-fashioned dress, her neck twisted at an impossible angle, laughed with a voice like crunching dry leaves.
They were dead. All of them. Corpses in various states of decay, socializing as if it were just another night.
Light’s stomach churned. He turned pale, so pale his skin took on an ashen tone. The blood seemed to flee his face, leaving him cold and dizzy.
—Hey, newbie —said a skeleton polishing a glass behind the bar, his teeth chattering in what was meant to be a smile—. Relax a little. With that face, you already look like one of us.
The joke, instead of easing the tension, plunged him into deeper panic. He wasn’t one of them. He was alive. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the air was thick and heavy. He was about to stand, to run, to scream, when a figure emerged from the shadows and approached his table.
It was him. The young man from the forest. Now, under the dim blue light, Light could see him in more detail. His skin was marble-pale, but his eyes… those enormous dark eyes were lively, intelligent, and now gleamed with quiet curiosity. He wore a dirty, loose white shirt and dark pants, all covered in a faint layer of earth. He looked fragile, eternally weary, but there was a silent authority in his hunched posture.
—Ah, you’re awake —said the voice, that melodic whisper Light already remembered—. You had me worried. You passed out after… well, after our encounter.
Light could only stare, unable to utter a single word. His usually swift mind was blocked by shock.The pale young man leaned slightly forward, balancing on his heels in a peculiar way.
—My name is L. Lawliet —he introduced himself, with a formality that felt absurd given the circumstances—. And you, darling, what’s your name?
The word “darling” echoed in Light’s stunned mind like a bell.—D-Darling? —he managed to stammer, finally finding his voice, rough and broken—. I… I’m not your “darling.”
L seemed genuinely confused. He frowned slightly and raised his left hand. On his ring finger, glowing with a macabre light, was Light’s wedding ring.
—But… you proposed to me —L argued, with the simple logic of someone who saw things in black and white—. In the forest. You slid this ring onto my finger. That, by definition, makes you my fiancé.
Light paled even further, if that was possible. He felt the world, or what remained of it, crumbling around him.
—That was an accident! —he protested, his voice rising—. I thought you were a root!
His words drew even more attention. The empty gazes of the other bar patrons fixed on him. Dry, crackling whispers filled the air. «He’s so worked up», «The living are so dramatic», «L finally got a boyfriend… and he’s… vibrant».
L, noticing his companion’s growing discomfort, made a calming gesture to the crowd and stepped closer to Light.
—I think we need to talk somewhere more private
—he murmured, and before Light could protest, L took his hand with surprising gentleness.
His touch was cold, like porcelain on a winter night, but not unpleasant, just… different. Light, too shocked to resist, let himself be led. L guided him out of the bar, toward a kind of shadowy plaza. The sky was a perpetual mantle of blackness dotted with pale, static stars. There was a rusted iron bench, and L invited him to sit.
—You’re in the Underworld, darling —L said, as if explaining the weather forecast—. The place where souls… well, reside. Or wander. Depends on the case.
—The Underworld? —Light repeated, feeling a fresh shiver—. Does that mean I’m… dead?
—No —L replied calmly, watching relief briefly flood Light’s face—. Not yet. Your physical body is still in the forest, unconscious. But your spirit is here, bound to me by the marriage contract.
Light buried his face in his hands. This was a nightmare. It had to be.
—I have to go back —he said, desperate—. My family… my wedding…
—Ah, yes. Your other wedding —L murmured, and for the first time, his tone lost a hint of its sweetness, turning slightly somber—. The living and their complications. I had one too, long ago.
Light lowered his hands, intrigued despite himself. L’s story was a mystery, and his detective mind, even amid the chaos, couldn’t help but feel curiosity.
L continued, his gaze lost in the eternal darkness.
—My family was wealthy. Very wealthy. And I… had a suitor. Someone brilliant, intense, but unstable. My parents didn’t approve. They thought he was a bad match, that he’d drag me to ruin. —He paused, a trace of bitterness slipping into his voice—. I was stubborn. I decided to marry him in secret. I believed his promises, his love… It was a night like this. I waited for him in our secret place, but he… didn’t come to marry me. He came to kill me. Beyond Birthday… that was his name. He thought if he couldn’t have me, no one else should.
Light felt a surge of empathy.
—I’m so sorry, L. That’s terrible.
L shrugged, a small, sad gesture.
—It was a long time ago. The case was never solved. My death remained just another mystery. And I stayed here, without a groom and without life, waiting… —His large eyes settled on Light again—. Until you came.
The mention snapped him back to reality.
—L, I’m sorry for what happened to you, truly. But I can’t be your replacement. I have to leave!
L laughed, a soft, genuine laugh that sounded strangely cheerful in that bleak place.
—That’s not possible, darling. The rules are the rules. You proposed to me, and I accepted. What kind of groom would leave his fiancé standing at the altar… or in this case, in the Underworld?
Frustration exploded in Light. He stood, fists clenched.
—But this is a mistake! I don’t even know you! I have a life up there!
L looked up at him from the bench, with infinite patience. His devotion was unshakable, and terrifyingly genuine.
—And now you have one here too, with me —he said with a final sweetness that allowed no reply
—. I’m sorry, Light Yagami. Or should I say… welcome to your new life.
The use of his name, which he had never told him, froze the blood in Light’s veins. How did he know? L’s gaze, as sweet as it was relentless, made one thing clear: escaping wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought.