Light stared blankly at the ceiling of his apartment once again. It had been that way for five years now. Five years since he had destroyed his rival, his tormentor, his relaxed, childlike friend - his first real friend - L. Every day was the same now: get up, fight those that felt they could destroy Kira, have Misa look up any new evildoers, trick Matsuda out of his sandwich, and spend much of the night staring at a screen and drinking black coffee. No sugar.

Yep, it couldn’t get more glamorous than this, Light thought. He sat up and looked at the coffee pot that rested in the kitchen parallel with his bedroom. When had I started drinking coffee? Was it before or after L? It must have been before. No maybe it was after. Why did I start drinking coffee? It didn’t matter.

Light looked over at Misa who slept soundlessly to his right. Careful not to wake the child that had strangely become his girlfriend, Light slipped out of bed and out of the room closing the door slowly. The sun had yet to make its pilgrimage through the sky, but the explosive bright lights of Tokyo seeped through the curtains and bathed the room in an iridescent red. Thinking of the clock, Light looked to the microwave and saw the 2:00 green lights burning through the darkness.

Why am I up again? This made no sense. I had gotten over my sleeping problem long ago, but just recently the problem has returned. For a few days after L died, I dreamed about his death over and over again, but I managed to purge myself of those after a while, but now the dreams of L have returned for reasons I could not explain. No. I could explain. It was Near and Mellow. Those two set forth as L’s true successors forced me to remember. They forced me to remember the death of my rival. No, he was a friend. No, he was more than a friend. He was possibly the only one that truly knew me. No. He was the only one.

As memories when times were good and fun reentered, Light felt the relaxing sensations of his true happiness.

The rainy day was the best. It was the only time I was really close to Ryuzaki. The way his sodden hair shimmered in the light gave me tingles. The way his eyes seemed to beg me for something that I could never give. And the bells as they sounded in the distance only added more beauty to the way he smiled. Still wet as we went up inside, we dried off. I was so close to him then…. That was the day he died. No that was the day he was killed by Rem, by Kira, by me.

“Hey Light! Can’t sleep?”
Light looked up and stared at Ryuk, the shinigami that started the entire thing, upside down on the ceiling. Light cocked his head a little more to look at the baka shinigami easier. The red light gave him an even more demented look than usual.
“Don’t shinigami sleep, Ryuk?” Light asked dryly.
“Well we don’t need to sleep. It just passes time. Anyway, I know you can’t sleep or why would you be up? I want to know why.”
“What is it to you Ryuk?”
“Well…nothing really, but I am craving an apple right about now.”
“There are no more apples in the house Ryuk…, but wait a while and I will go out and buy some,” Light droned softly.
“Heheheheheheheheheheheheheh so you are being kind now, Light?”
“Do you want an apple or not Ryuk?”
“!....yes.”

Light changed clothes and grabbed his jacket. It was the white jacket he had worn through his adolescent years. The feel of the collar reminded him of the time he searched for the bugs in the house. How perceptive L was, and yet he was dead in the end. Light walked softly under the street lights hearing the buzz of the traffic as it fought for the right of way.

Just like Kira, never ending, Light thought, always fighting those for the right to rule the world. But someday Kira will come to an end. I will die, and that will be the end. No. Kira will live on. I will use others to pass the legacy of Kira on. I will be a god no matter what. Not even L….

A child cried somewhere in the distance above the drone of the cars. Light looked dazedly in the direction of the call. It ran through him and seemed to take over all his nerves. In response, his legs dropped from under him. Instinctively, Light’s hand reached for a place to grab. A wall was close enough to him to stop. The street lights did not catch what happened next. In the shadow of the night, tears fell from Light’s eyes then and there. At 2:30 in the morning, Light Yagami cried.

It was stupid! Light groaned to himself. Why should I care about him? L is long gone and far away somewhere in heaven. He is dead. He will never come back. That was one of the rules in the note. He will never come back. That childlike friend was my first friend. He was also the first one that I ever…that I ever…loved.

In that instant, Light Yagami realized that he loved L. It hit him so tragically that it shook him like winter snow. So this was love. This was the feeling of love. No, not passion. This was true love.

Sounds of footsteps brought Lights eyes up to meet the face of a blonde-haired, skinny man wearing leather from head to toe. Without one split second warning, Mellow punched Light’s jaw. The pain stung, but the shock forced Light to be silent.

“Sorry, but I can’t stand crying guys. It gives the wrong image, especially when they are not little kids. What is your problem?”

Light blinked at this man.
“What is your problem?” Mellow asked again, this time kinder.
“Why should I tell you?” Light asked coldly. Ryuk chuckled behind Light.
“No reason,” Mellow nearly snickered. Light smiled. This man was something else.

“My name is Matt,” Mellow lied. There was no reason to give his alias to common people. Plus, the real Matt wouldn’t care, just another alias.
“My name is Matsuda,” Light replied. There was no reason to broadcast his crying in public to anyone. If the NPD found out, there could be teasing from the real Matsuda.
“Your name is weird,” Mellow commented.
“Your name is too American,” Light shot back.
They both smiled and began to walk down the street together.

“So Matt-kun, what are you doing out this late or, rather, early?” Light asked, pushing away the last of his tears.
“I was thinking and going to buy chocolate. I have an addiction like people have with cigarettes or beer. My question is what are you doing out?” Mellow nearly laughed.
Ryuk laughed behind Light even more and was rolling on the ground now.
“I was thinking and out for apples,” Light replied not hearing Ryuk for the first time.
“So we were both thinking, eh? What were you thinking about, Matsuda?” Mellow asked.
“My best friend was killed by Kira, and I was wondering why the feelings I had came after he died,” Light answered honestly.
“Strange coincidence. My mentor was killed by Kira, and I was wondering if he would approve of what I was doing to avenge him,” Mello said somberly for the first time.

Rain began to fall, but neither Light nor Mellow changed their pace. They talked on and on about how the world was unsure of everything, one questioning meanings while the other gave a smartass answer. Neither of the two thought anything of the other. The other was just someone to talk to. Their pace led them to a convenience store on a corner. Light looked in the wet window and proceeded to push the door open. No one was there except the clerk who looked rather sleepy standing behind the register.
“Let’s get what we want and leave,” Mellow said flatly.
“Sounds good,” Light finished.

They both hastily walked their separate ways, Light going to get apples for Ryuk and Mellow walking off to the candy section. As they came together again to purchase the items, Light realized he was fifty yen short.
“Matt-kun, I know this is kind of awkward, but can I borrow fifty yen?” Light asked tiredly.
“Sure, here,” Mellow answered, handing Light a fifty yen coin.

Light moved out of the way as Mellow bought his chocolate.
“Milk chocolate, huh?” Light asked as Mellow opened the chocolate bar and took his first bite.
“Ya, I like it a lot,” Mellow answered.
“Dark is better for you,” Light commented.
“Look, just eat your damn apple and be happy. You still owe me fifty yen,” Mellow commented.
Instead of throwing the apple to Ryuk, Light took a bite. Ryuk screamed like a girl with her hair pulled.
“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ryuk cried, “You ruined it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Light did not hear him, but tasted only the apple. It was like, Light thought, I can’t explain! It is so good and makes me feel so alive! No wonder Ryuk likes them so much. I have never tasted apples like this!

Light smiled happily as Ryuk cried in a corner.
“Matsuda-chan, why don’t we continue our walk,” Mellow called.
“Chan?” Light asked.
“You are the one that was crying like a girl,” Mellow teased.
“Fine Matt-kun, but you are the one with a girl’s haircut.”
Mellow’s face went redder than a beet.
“I like my hair!” Mellow said angrily, “it’s not girly! I just have style!”
“Ya, like a girl,” Light laughed.
“Shut it!” Mellow ordered.
“Aw come on Matt-kun, that was funny,” Light said slowly stopping his laughter, “Anyway, I need to be going soon. I will pay you back the fifty yen if I ever see you again.”

“Before we go, tell me about your friend. He must have been a real badass for getting Kira to kill him,” Mellow smiled.
“No he wasn’t," Light said. "He was kind and relaxed. I didn’t realize I liked him like that until after he was gone. He died because he challenged Kira’s reign. I can’t sleep sometimes because of him. He died years ago, but then some people slapped me in the face and woke those feelings I had for him. I haven’t slept well in weeks and life has gone into a sort of mainstream deadness.” Light sighed picturing L’s calm face.

“Well, bravery gets you places in the world. Your friend got to escape the world of Kira, and right now I think that is a great place. The reason you can’t sleep is not because he is dead, but because now you are afraid without him,” Mellow answered.
“How do you know so much?” Light asked astonished.
“Because that is how I feel about my mentor. He was my idol, and I lived for him. He was the bravest of all. In a way, meeting you here, Matsuda, has cleared some things up for me. I will avenge not only my mentor, but your friend and all those that have died due to Kira.”

Light felt a sudden shock realizing that Matt meant to destroy him without realizing it. He had to kill him!
“Matt, what is your last name?” Light asked casually. Light felt the tinge of his mind explode with the envision of becoming God. He was back! “It is sort of bad to call you by just your first name.”
Mellow thought for a minute and decided to continue with the charade. He picked the first last name that came to mind.
“Mathews,” He smiled.

Yes! That was too easy! Light thought. Now I will kill him for rising against me! Light undid the watch that contained a piece of the Death Note.

As he was about to write the name down, something stopped him. Was it feelings for this Matt Mathews? No. His feelings were for L and L only, but this was something else. This was an understanding that linked them. Light stopped and closed his watch. If this boy did choose to fight him, he would fight fairly. It would be far different from what he had done to L.

This was the way it went. The two went their separate ways and would not see each other again for a long time. Light stopped having dreams of L, and Mellow continued on his way to catch the man he had just met.

After Takada kills Mellow in his van

Light walked onto the scene of Mellow’s car wreck. As a result of his heart attack, he had smashed into several cars, but no one died except him. As Light drew closer, his eyes dilated. There sitting in the van was the man. The man from long ago: Matt Mathews was Mellow. No, that was wrong. Light knew Mellow’s real name. The one that he had given Light was an alias. For a second, Light was angry, but then his head cooled as he realized that he had managed to take down the man who had nearly destroyed him.

I should have killed him when we met, Light thought. No, it was an alias. He would have lived anyway. He is dead now and that is all that matters.

Remembering their meeting that rainy day, Light reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty yen coin. He was not sure how it got there to begin with, but he bent down calmly in the van next to Mellow’s head. Everyone was too busy running around trying to stop the fire Takada started to notice.
“This is my payment to you, Mellow,” Light whispered up against the frowning face of Mellow. He slipped the fifty yen coin into Mellow’s leather pants and proceeded to walk away.

So his mentor was L, then. We were talking about the same person that night in the rain. And I was the one to kill both the mentor and apprentice. Who would have guessed? L….. No, I’m over L now. It is time to preserve my perfect world so that killing L and Mellow will not have been in vain. I will be the god of the new world!!!!