The Descent

Light shuddered awake under a harsh florescent glow and promptly closed his eyes tight shut again. “Fucking hell” he thought verbosely. Cold steel encased his wrists and ankles, biting hard into him, making it pointless to try and move; he would hurt himself too badly. At least he knew what had gotten him into this mess: one very pissed off death god. The shinigami had just earlier threatened him with extreme bodily harm if he did not comply with and meet his most recent demands. Maybe it was something having to do with apple pie from that fast food chain restaurant with the commercials Ryuuk kept pinning on his refrigerator but Light had not really been in the mood to listen to Ryuuk who, to paraphrase a dear departed rival, was 99% of the time full of crap anyway. Now Light's skull ached from where the shinigami had hit him to make him pass out. Turns out today had fallen under the other 1% of the time.

“Ryuuk?” In order to make the dense creature see reason he would have to get his attention first. “Ryuuk! Come on…”

The shinigami appeared, materializing out of thin air, and stood looming above him saying nothing but smiling freakishly. A hulking monstrosity of a creature, his features were more reptilian than human, and his street lamp yellow eyes bulged from his clownish face scanning Light’s body with no readable emotion. Inexplicably he was without his usual leather shirt and the muscles under his blue skin rippled with visible tension, anger seemed to coil beneath his flesh. Light felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. “Ryuuk.” The repetition was weak, soft as he stuttered it in shock. His mouth was all unsure and wobbly.

“You’re awake, good.” There was something off about the death god’s voice. Octaves lower than usual, it sounded like a serrated growl. “Wondering why I brought you here?”

No, Light had actually just been thinking how much he no longed wanted to find out.

“You’ve pissed me off real good kid but, maybe, if you keep quiet and do everything I ask I’ll forgive you. Otherwise...” The shinigami trailed off to let Light's cursedly imaginative mind fill in the blanks.

Light swallowed; nodding his head. Ryuuk was brimming with malice which made it frighteningly obvious his words were serious. The young Japanese man couldn’t quite bring himself to speak.

“You don’t look at all embarrassed. Not surprising, you are just so proud, aren’t you?” Ryuuk kicked him in the side. “Don’t talk now; nod in response. Yes or no do you use this,” the shinigami is making reference to his vulnerable bared body, “to get what you want?”

In any other position Light would have argued vehemently against such a bald-faced and untrue statement but he nodded like a sycophant for now. He was too frightened to deny the shinigami anything. That simple kick had knocked the all of the wind out of him and Light doubted Ryuuk had used much of his body strength to do it. “Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed that power while you’ve had it.” The shinigami shared with him.

Light’s fear caused him physical pain. His heart clenched as involuntary images of this inhuman thing maiming and dismembering him played in his head.

Ryuuk watched him with sick bemusement, “I see you might have something to say to that. Go ahead and speak now. Make it quick and be careful not to say anything stupid.”

Light responded with his teeth clenched shut in an attempt ot hide the way his jaw was trying to chatter. “Don’t do this Ryuuk. We can make a deal.”

“You’re right, we are here to make a deal. You aren’t allowed to know the terms but you will agree.” Light opened his mouth to dissent. “Talk without my permission and I will cut your tongue out of your head.”

Light wanted to scream. Why would he ever agree to do something that he didn’t know the terms for? Even his fear couldn’t stop him from speaking now. “Ryuuk! No that’s insane!”

Ryuuk kicked him harder the second time. His world splintered in his view and the edges of his vision went black, it took him forever to inhale again and it was a ragged breath. His lungs felt ruined. He could feel tears forming at the corners of his eyes and felt sick with himself for being so weak.

“Wrong answer. Try again.” The shingami ground out with mock patience.

“Alright. I'll do what you want.” He wheezed, the metallic taint of blood was rising in the back of his throat. “Just please…”

“Be quiet now. Interrupt again and your pain will not be temporary.” Two human-esque hands came to rest on his torso and Ryuuk began to speak in what must have been his own language. No human could affect sounds so low and guttural. He chanted with practiced rhythm and as he continued Light experienced a warmth gathering in his stomach. Light stared in shocked silence as his skin began to look translucent where the shinigami's hands were placed. While his vision was showing him something that should have been impossible time began to lose focus for him. He felt rooted to the spot. It could have as easily been a Malthusian lifespan as a half hour that Ryuuk chanted over him in rasping tones. “Sraryn.” The shinigami growled with dark finality and from Light's stomach rose a thin flat crystal, lustrous as an opal. Ryuuk took it in both hands almost reverently.

Light’s stomach was opaque again when he took his eyes off the transfixed shinigami. His pain subsided and a strange high moved to overtake it. He felt lighter than air and like every nerve was stimulated towards pleasure.

“Hold this between your teeth and tilt your head to offer it to me. Don’t you DARE eat any of it.”

“No.” Light whispered. Even in his reverie he was not gullible. Something was completely skewed, this, whatever it was, it was part of himself.

The shinigami cracked him hard upside the head for disobeying. Light wailed with a mix of anger and dispair, “I don’t know what this is but I don't want you to have it!”

Ryuuk put his fingers in front of Light’s eyes. Light’s mouth dropped dumbly as razor sharp talons rose from the bed of Ryuuk’s nails. “I’ve told you boy, you could do without that contrary little tongue of yours.”

Light’s eyes grew wide as the shinigami brought those deathly things close to his lips and he caved again, “Alright! Okay…” He whispered brokenly against the talons that could undo him.

Ryuuk’s forehead furrowed with annoyance, he shoved an end of the crystal into Light’s mouth. It tasted strange. It had a sumptuous and addictive quality he could not pin or place. It would have difficult not to bite down but for his fear of breaking his teeth. Ryuuk ate it slowly, his fangs easily crunching the crystal apart. He swept away the last bit from between Light’s lips with his tongue. When he stood again the brunette spat disgusted, trying to clear his mouth of the sensation and taste of the creature’s invasion.

Ryuuk appraised him again, licking his thin lips really savoring it all. He knelt to snap Light’s bondage apart. “Our deal is complete. Stand up.”

Light blanched white as his body moved of its own accord. “What is this?”

“See if you can’t figure it out on your own, but try not to waste any precious energy thinking about what you can’t change.” He brushed off Light’s back almost thoughtfully dislodging any dust from the floor still clinging to him. “I don’t want to take you in this place, even I have standards. Let’s go now. Hold onto me.”

Light fastened his arms around the shinigami and the way his body was moving involuntarily again made his head spin. The curved lengths of Ryuuk’s feathery wings extended, growing noisily far beyond his peripheral vision and Light held even closer as they were lifted into the cool night sky. He could see the busy movements of the blazingly lit of city of Tokyo in the distance as they ascended from the old warehouse. If anyone could see him at all now he would look like a floating specter clinging to the chill air. He shivered, burrowed his head into the thick black feathers on Ryuuk’s shoulder so he wouldn’t have to look down anymore as they flew further upwards. His ears were popping with the pressure, his heart pounded crazily, he lifted his head once more and screamed through the thinning atmosphere, “Where are we going?”

“Home.” Ryuuk growled and soon Light was gasping for breath desperately. He could feel his extremities numbing. His vision blurred out and the rest fell away.