Title: Unwelcome Spirits
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Light/L/B
Warnings: Slight AU (because of B's presence); -very- slight death imagery.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Obata and Ohba.
Summary: B captures Light as Kira and vows to L that he'll get revenge on his behalf.
Note: This is a story I've been kind of meaning to write anyway, but I quickly lose interest with projects I start. xDD;; So I kind of made this a one-shot for now. I guess if I feel like picking it up again, I'll continue but... I haven't half the skill of most of the fics I've read so please bear with me. I haven't written since I got out of high school (which was a while back xDD;;). Critiques are most welcome! I'd love to improve my writing to how it used to be in school. (:

Unwanted Spirits

"Don't worry, Lawli, I'll take care of Kira, yet. I'll show him what a hypocrite he is. I'll punish him in return for everything he's done. He deserves it."

L stared with a blank face at the glowing monitor, seeing only a white screen coupled with a giant black B printed in Old English font—the same manner in which he used when communicating with the outside world—centered on the screen. The voice on the other end was waiting for a response, as if expecting some sort of praise for his good deed.

B, you fool… L furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. Not only did he have a former acquaintance from his past to worry about—one he believed to be dead—but this acquaintance of his was also clinically insane and a murderer. A murderer who held his current suspect for his current case captive. The captive who was also his friend and his lover.

The latter, however, was a secret that had to be kept between said captive and himself. Otherwise, there was no saying what would be done to him.

"B…" L's voice came out harsher than he'd intended it to. But then again, the only way to get through to his former successor was when he thought his idol was angry with him. "You realize that this will not solve anything, do you not?"

A moment of hesitation.

". . . What do you mean?"

L stared at the screen. For someone so intelligent, the poor bastard was an idiot and lacked basic common sense.

"Doing this makes you no better than Kira. In fact, it makes you exactly the same." He bit his tongue to avoid adding something along the lines of actually, you're much worse.

"He killed others who were committing crimes, claiming he was judging them, claiming they deserved it. He is a hypocrite, yes. But what would that make you if you were to return the favor?"

". . . No, I am different. I'm different because I'm doing you a favor. You're proud of me, aren't you, Lawli?"

L clenched his teeth together and gritted them in aggravation. God, did he hate that nickname. It was so personal, and he didn't like the idea of someone so obsessed with him, so preoccupied with doing everything in his power to be just like him, to be personal.

B had always tried everything he could to please L. He killed things—birds, squirrels, fish, anything he thought would produce a nice gift—and bring them to L as a trophy. He deliberately hurt kids who'd done nothing wrong, beaming that he knew how to defend himself when provoked.

The gears in his mind revolved like a clock; continuous and repetitive without change, incapable of learning anything new. He always reacted with indifference whenever L scolded him, then grinned and ran out as if he'd just been commended for his erratic behavior. Like clockwork.

The human mind, however, unlike a clock, is capable of learning. And when L stopped responding—or even showed surprise—to his many gifts and praise-worthy accomplishments, he opted for change.

That's when he started using L's real name to his own advantage.

B had always claimed to see things that others couldn't. Their real names, their lifespan, and their death days, he said. Which no one believed, of course, it was far too preposterous. But B had finally elicited the reaction he'd desired from L when he had slipped up one day and called him Lawli. The first time he'd voiced the nickname, L had flinched and looked at him with wide eyes, full of surprise and warning.

That was the first time in a long time B had smiled.

And to this day, L was still exasperated with it. Everything B did still infuriated him. This time, though, he had crossed the line. He'd pretended to be L.

Unbelievable.

He'd pretended to be L and managed to get past the security parameter structured around his hotel.

Inconceivable.

He'd used this guise to inevitably lure out the unsuspecting Yagami Light to his ultimate capture.

Unforgivable.

An endless train of thought made its rotation within L's brain and branched out into thousands of millions of web-like thoughts, linking with each other in due course to formulate a plan, an idea, anything that would lead to Light's safe return.

He obtained many answers throughout his few seconds of quick thinking, but was able to come to only one conclusion.

". . . Yes, B. I'm very proud of you. But you mustn't do anything rash." He quickly cut off B before he could show any signs of excitement. "Don't punish him, or I will, in turn, punish you. Is that clear?"

He could almost imagine the victorious grin on B's face. It disgusted him.

"I understand. I won't touch him until you tell me to."

". . . I mean it, B. If one strand of hair on his head is damaged, you will have me to answer to."

Again, he imagined B, only this time, his grin faltered somewhat in disappointment.

". . .I understand, Lawli. I will not touch him."

L frowned and clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes at the B on the monitor just before it went black, cutting communication. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until he let out a long sigh.

Rubbing his eyes, suddenly aware of how tired he truly was, he looked up. Where there had just been a loathsome B on a white screen was now a mental image of a handsome young brunette with a warm smile. His face couldn't help but soften.

. . . Wait for me, Yagami-kun.