Chapter 1. Infernal Chain
L lay awake, the chain attaching him to Light tugged at his wrist as the adolescent tossed and turned in his sleep. It was a night like any other, filled with work and filing that had to be done, but Light had insisted that the two of them retire to bed. Though L initially objected, Light's persistent tugging and complaining had caused the detective to cave.
No matter how hard he tried, L could never seem so sleep- especially in the presence of the main suspect for the Kira case. Light's auburn hair reflected the moonbeams that fell through the window, glistening as the rays lit up the strands on the back of his head. He smelled of soap and spearmint toothpaste. Light was orderly, clean, and put together; he was the perfect suspect.
From observing his behaviors over the past few weeks, L could see that Light chronically repressed his emotions and inner thoughts, innocent as they might be. His dissatisfaction with the lack of justice in the world around him only fueled L's suspicion that the successful adolescent was in fact, the worlds most dangerous killer. 97%...he thought to himself.
When Light had first been incarcerated, L was in fact 97% positive that Light was somehow Kira, but halfway through his imprisonment, Kira struck again, killing two weeks worth of criminals. This wouldn't have convinced L, nothing of that nature really could have. It was the look in the boys eyes that eventually pushed L to release him. He looked so afraid and sincere, while his eyes had shone nothing but malcontent before he was put behind bars.
L's stomach rumbled. Perhaps eating nothing but sugary carbs wasn't the best dietary plan if he was going to have to sleep every night, or at least pretend to. He felt greasy in contrast to the cleanly boy lying to his right. Light grunted in his sleep and rolled over to face L. His soft breath sent shiver's down L's spine, triggering something within him that he did not understand. L sighed and succumbed to the nagging feeling of exhaustion in the back of his head, drifting to sleep while wondering what Lights breath would taste like.
L rose with the sun, the abrasion of the chain left his wrist raw and swollen while he slept. Light was still asleep. It felt like there was an enormous weight on his chest. How long could this pseudo investigation drag out before the temporary Kira was caught and the true Kira (possibly Light), would regain his power? He knew the investigation was of the utmost importance and that solving this case would give him a profound insight into how Kira kills, but he couldn't help feeling like this Kira was simply a distraction to avert his attention from the original killer.
He knew that all attempts to wake Light this early would be obsolete, the boy loved to sleep. Letting out a long sigh, L lay back and closed his eyes, though he did not sleep. There was a sour taste in his mouth an an uneasiness lingering in his gut. He couldn't allow task force or Light to witness even a shred of weakness in him, lest his reputation as the greatest detective of all time be tainted. He swallowed his spit multiple times, attempting to at least eradicate the flavor from his mouth. Light was facing away from him, clutching a pillow between his legs and another to his torso. L giggled to himself, noticing how vulnerable the narcissistic genius looked in his sleep. A corner of his mouth tugged up to a smirk, Light was no more a man than he. It gave L comfort to know this.
Time dragged on, minutes felt like hours, and hours, like eons, before Light finally awoke at precisely 7am. In his boredom, L had begun balancing loose sugar cubes, lazily dropped onto the floor the previous night, into an endless tower on the side of their bed. The boy yawned and rubbed his amber eyes. L pretended not to notice.
"Good morning Ryuuzaki", Light murmured. L looked down, ignoring the small pile of sugar cubes which had crashed around him when Light spoke.
"Good morning Light".
Light sat up, rubbing the back of his neck with his chained arm. "Did you sleep well?" L asked quietly.
"Yes actually", replied Light with a slight smile, "I told you that actually sleeping would be a good idea."
L rolled his eyes. It was just like Light to gloat in his rightness, even when he wasn't. "I did not sleep", he exhaled. Light cocked his head to the side and brushed off L's comment, as he always did when L would quietly dispute his points. L stood and tugged at the chain. He was so hungry, and the sour taste in his mouth hadn't left since dawn. "Breakfast".
L watched as Light sluggishly stood up, and followed him down the hallway of their flat in the task force building to the kitchen where Watari had left them an assortment of breakfast foods. L caught of glimpse of something red and white, it was his strawberry cake. His mouth watered in anticipation. Light was brewing coffee for the two of them on the other end of the counter. Furrowing his brow L turned to the potential Kira and asked him to move with him to retrieve the cake.
"Ryuuzaki, I'm in the middle of something, can't it wait a minute?"
"No, I am hungry", hissed L.
Light scowled and shook his head. "You know I am so sick of you pulling me around all day like I'm some sort of pet! Watching a suspect does not constitute ownership. At least give me some leeway too."
"Light, even though there is a third Kira now, you and Amane are still my prime suspects, and therefor can not be let out of sight. Since Amane and the second Kira parallel in every way, an overwhelming amount of evidence has been lined up against her. Amane is indisputably the second Kira, and if you observe the dynamic between the two Kiras and the dynamic between the two of you, the behaviors match 96% of the time. By logic, this would make you the more dangerous killer, which would mean that without imprisonment, you require 24 hour observation. There is nothing unfair or illogical about what I am doing. If you recall, you yourself agreed to this when you were released from incarceration after admitting to being Kira. Now, as I asked kindly before, please move with me so I can obtain my breakfast."
Light scowled and sent a cold glare L's way, but complied nonetheless.