Title: Three of Pentacles
Author: Evil Day
Fandom: Death Note
Pairing: Raito x L
Rating: let's say T or PG13 to be safe. It is yaoi.
Spoilers: Oh, yes. Everything up to…chapter 58. But that didn't happen in my world.
Disclaimer: I own many things. Death Note is not one of them.
Summary: The Kira investigation continues…and Raito is still without his memories. When something happens to Misa, Raito is given something he never wanted. Thankfully, that something is what might bring he and L together. Raito x L yaoi. Slightly AU, only because half of the stuff in the manga ain't never gonna happen in here. But you won't want it to.
May 1st, 2006
The Kira investigation is at a standstill. Soon after Misa signed her American recording contract and left the team behind in favor of promoting her career, the number of deaths that could only have been performed by Kira dropped dramatically. To L, this served as only more irrefutable proof that Misa was not involved with Kira in any way. Or rather, to hear it from his lips, it proved that Misa was no longer involved with Kira. It moved absolutely nothing for Raito and his cause.
This meant very little to Raito himself. By this time, he was positive that he was not Kira. But so moved was he by the fact that he'd spent precious time in his life being pursued as such, he was still just as committed to catching the killer as L was.
'But how', Raito mused as he stared motionless at the glowing monitor before him, 'was it possible to catch someone who had literally disappeared from the face of the earth?'
The murders had dwindled to nothing. Not a single person had died by the unseen hand of Kira in over two months. Both Raito and L had been reduced to simply staring at the news, watching and waiting for someone to die. As morbid as it was, Raito knew that nothing more could be done. The other men in the investigation had been placed "on call" by L, as the tension from the lack of information and Matsuda's incessant need to help had finally gotten to him. He'd sent them all home a week ago, telling them that if their services were needed any further, they would be promptly notified.
Which left Raito alone at L's mercy. They were no longer chained together, but they might as well have been. For while the chain was gone, L had demanded that Raito not only continue to live as though they were, Raito was not released with his father and the rest of the team.
"The percentage of Yagami Raito being Kira is…1 percent," L had told him as he unlocked the cuff that bound the two of them together. "Therefore he need no longer be chained to me, but must remain under strict observance." There was no trace of wonder or amusement in those wide eyes as they fixed on Raito, bearing down with an unseen but equally oppressive shadow. "If he could please continue to live here at headquarters and assist with the investigation."
Raito could do nothing. If he protested, the percentage might rise again, and he'd be forced to bind himself to the awkward man all over again. He could deal with sharing a room, but the constant restraint was maddening, not to mention downright embarrassing at times.
But that was a year and a half ago.
Now…it was all Raito could do to stay out of L's way. The lack of investigative material had brought out the older man's impatient side. Only Watari could look into the eyes of the beast without flinching. And it wasn't that L was loud, or violent. It was…
Raito lifted his eyes from his own monitor and dared a glance in L's direction. He seemed happy enough, gazing up at the screen on the wall that was showing the news from some obscure country. Unblinking, he reached out to the pile of frosted pink and yellow cookies and delicately took one between his fingers, shaking it a bit so some of the loose sprinkles fell from the top, scattering a rainbow of sugar on the desktop.
"Ryuuzaki…"
L broke his gaze on the television and brought his eyes to Raito. A tiny yellow cookie crumb clung to the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, Raito-kun?" His voice was perfectly pleasant if you were used to his sort of pleasantness, although Ratio knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. He wasn't even entirely sure if his suggestion was a good idea, but as far as he could tell, it couldn't hurt to ask.
"Well…it's been three weeks, and our attempt to draw Kira back out hasn't yet worked…it seems. Perhaps we ought to try again. Another ploy on Sakura TV might do something. We could-"
"Raito-kun." There it was. Sharp but controlled, L's voice was like a melting but still very razor thin shard of ice. "I believe it is too soon to say that it did not work. Perhaps Raito-kun is growing bored and simply speaking for the sake of hearing something."
L had long since continued to watch the news, apparently thinking Raito not interesting enough to address with eye contact. Raito bit the side of his cheek, forcing down the urge to simultaneously yell and beat L in the head with his own plate of cookies.
"You are mistaken, Ryuuzaki. I only mention it because the last time we sent a video to Sakura TV to air, Kira responded almost immediately. I was going to suggest that since this Kira is most likely a third Kira, we may need to air the program elsewhere."
L said nothing. Instead of speaking, he reached for another cookie and nibbled gently on the edge of it, almost as though he thought it was his thumb.
A minute passed.
"…Ryuuzaki?"
"I heard you, Raito-kun. I am simply choosing not to dignify your suggestion with a response." With that, he shoved the entire cookie into his mouth. A few rogue sprinkles escaped his lips, falling and hitting his keyboard with tiny, barely audible sounds.
Raito gave up. It seemed that it was one of those days. He hated to admit it, and it only crossed his mind briefly, but he felt like a distraught husband whose wife was on the rag. He could do no right, and everything that came out of his mouth was, apparently, vile.
Raito also thought, solely to himself, that if Kira didn't start killing people soon, things were going to get very ugly. The thought of someone, anyone at all, dying from a heart attack was one that lifted his spirits.
He was just preparing to storm angrily out of the room when he heard Watari's voice over the speakers on L's computer.
"L…I think you may want to see this." The television channel changed on its own to another news broadcast, this one from New York.
Both Raito and L visibly stiffened at the sight. The news anchor's voice carried the message that was already posted on the screen, bringing it to life.
"…Japanese model, actress, and recording artist Misa Amano found dead in her New York apartment this morning, from what appears to be the work of a crazed stalker. Police reports say he shot the woman multiple times, then turned the gun on himself. The investigation is continuing, but officials say…"
"That…that's impossible! She just…this morning?" Raito felt his skin grow cold with shock. The room suddenly shrank around him as he gaped at the screen. He felt his fingernails digging into his palms from far away.
"Raito-kun…I am very sorry."
Raito turned to look at L, registering the man's face and his complacent attitude. It calmed him somehow, not completely, but enough to regain his composure. He relaxed his fists and nodded at L.
"I'm fine. It was just…unexpected, that's all. I did know her for a long time."
"She was no longer your girlfriend, correct?"
Raito shook his head. "No…not since she left."
L nodded. "Was she in contact with you recently?"
"No, she wasn't." Raito thought hard, trying to remember the last time they had spoken with one another. "It was strange, really…she called and called when she arrived in New York, but after a few months, she just…stopped. I thought it was for the best."
Biting into another cookie, L changed the channel back to what he had been watching previously. Raito watched it with him, unable to pay attention to anything that was reported after the news of Misa's death. It surprised him a little, especially since she had done nothing but annoy him and cause him trouble, but still…he wouldn't have wished that end for anyone.
"Raito-kun has had a shock. I think it would be best if he retired early."
Raito paused to consider the thought. L's sudden change in attitude was refreshing, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get anything done no matter how L treated him, and he did feel as though he needed to lie down for a bit.
"You're right…please excuse me."
It took Raito over an hour to get to sleep. He wasn't devastated, he was simply taken aback. He knew he just needed time to get used to the idea, and he buried himself under the blankets and waited until sleep finally came and stole the constant thoughts from his overworked mind.
"Raito-kun…"
L's voice was muffled as it drifted to Raito's ears by way of the thick comforter that surrounded his head. He mumbled something into his pillow, hoping he hadn't moved too far in his sleep again. Raito had a bad habit of sleeping diagonally, something that L found to be quite annoying.
Sleepily, Raito moved his legs, just in case.
"Raito-kun…I think you'd better wake up."
L's monotone, distant voice began to take form and become real in Raito's mind, and hesitantly he opened his eyes, wondering why L wasn't insulting him into wakefulness. He pushed the comforter off of his head, blinking and squinting into the morning light.
"What time is it?"
"It is 10 am, and you are needed in the lobby." L's hunched figure and informational gaze shifted something in Raito's stomach. He began to worry.
"Why…what happened? And why didn't you wake me up?" He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, running a hand through his sleep wrought honey locks. The memory if Misa came to him suddenly, but he shook his head and pushed it aside.
"I simply chose not to." Something akin to amusement tugged at the farthest reaches of L's mouth, and Raito noticed this as he dug through the dresser set for a change of fresh clothes. He assumed he didn't have time for a shower.
"I see. And I'm needed for…?"
L shook his head as he watched Raito pull on a pair of dark jeans. "That, Raito-kun…I cannot disclose."
Raito smirked. As much as L's games used to annoy him, he had to admit they were refreshing now that he was familiar with another, less playful L. He was, however, a bit wary of what was so interesting that it completely distracted L from his frustrations due to the Kira case.
"Can you tell me anything?" Raito found an acceptable shirt and buttoned it while watching L's impish half-grin.
"I believe I can say that…your father is waiting for you."
"My father? What's so funny about that?" Raito asked as he followed L to the elevator.
"Not funny, Raito-kun. I find it…very intriguing."
Shaking his head, Raito decided to ignore the older detective. At least L was able to admit he was immature.
Once both of them were inside the elevator, L reached over to the control panel, pressing the button for the bottom floor. Raito noticed, but said nothing, and instead wondered why his father needed to see him so badly. Why hadn't he just called?
'Whatever it is…L obviously already knows,' Raito thought to himself, silently narrowing his eyes at L's precarious frame. L had his thumb to his teeth, eyes wide in anticipation as he watched the small digital screen at the top of the elevator car count down the floor numbers. The corner of his lips curled upward slightly, and he turned his head towards Raito at a devastatingly slow pace. It was almost as if he was being played at half speed.
Raito met L's curious stare with a hardened, half awake glare. He didn't have to time to think of anything particularly witty to say, as the elevator car beeped politely before opening its doors to the lobby floor.
The lobby floor of L's Kira investigation headquarters was pleasant and inviting, and betrayed nothing of the stark black dreariness that inhabited the rest of the floors, no doubt due to the aura of the world's greatest detective. Dimly lit areas just seemed to somehow find him. But this floor was well lit and furnished, once you were past the numerous security checkpoints. In the center of the large room were a series of couches and chairs, spaced out with end tables that boasted matching lit lamps. On one of these couches sat Souichiro Yagami.
"Father…" Raito exited the elevator with L in tow, trailing in his footsteps. As Raito approached his father, he noticed something that had been hidden from sight behind one of the couches until just that moment, and he stopped just a few feet short of his father and stared.
Raito's father had stood up as well, but the expression on his face was one of worry and apprehension. He paused next to his son and watched his face carefully, waiting for the right time to speak.
L sat down, seeing that no one else was going to. Crawling like a sneaky child to the far end of the couch, he peered down curiously at what Raito was also staring at, albeit with a slightly less confused expression.
"Son…I'm sure you've heard about Misa. We're all very sorry for your loss."
"Yes, thank you…but I'm all right. Whose…whose is that?"
Raito was baffled. He was touched that his father had come to offer his condolences, but sitting next to his father's jacket at the end of the couch was something he hadn't ever seen his father in possession of.
A baby car seat. Or rather, a car seat with a baby in it. Raito hadn't been able to pull his eyes off of it since he'd come into the room.
The Yagami elder put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I suppose Misa didn't tell you. I didn't know either. Social services just brought him to your last recorded address. I told them that you still lived there."
Something wasn't adding up for Raito, and he reran all the information he'd just received through his mind a second time, trying to work out all the kinks. That familiar cold feeling had returned to him from yesterday.
"Misa's? But when did she…? And why is it here? Social services…" It was too much for even Yagami Raito to piece together.
L was currently perched on the arm of the couch, hanging a starkly pale hand over the car seat. He wore the same dazed expression as always, this time directed at Misa's baby, who oddly enough wasn't crying, and instead mistook L's withered hand for an odd plaything.
Raito watched all of this in horror, unable to summon up the words he wanted to say.
"Raito-kun is thinking that this baby cannot possibly be his." L brought his attention up to Raito's face, a strange glimmer shining through his dark eyes. "But Raito-kun is mistaken."
"Wh- What?" Raito directed his stare at L, suddenly unwilling to look in the direction of the baby itself. He felt trapped, and the instinct to run was overwhelming.
"Yagami-san has already shown me the birth certificate. Misa has indeed listed Yagami Raito as the legal father, but as to why she never told you…" L's eyes found their way to the ornamented ceiling, "I do not know. I have a theory, however…"
Father…? Raito had had enough. He sank into the couch in defeat, burying his face in his hands.
End Part One
AN: In 2004, Light is 18 years old. Now…let's see…L also dies in 2004, making him just barely 25 when he died in November…so. Given that, it's May 2006, L is not dead and instead is 26, Raito is 20. There. If Misa was just barely pregnant in November 2004, then…the baby's birthday was 8 7 2005. August 7th, 2005. Which means that when Raito finds out, the baby is…9 months old. This is my strange idea of a timeline. Thank you.
Thanks for reading, and please do review! It's really up to you guys how this story pans out, I have an outline with no decided ending as of yet, so if you like or not, let me know! It's actually a comedy/romance, but it's all about the setup. That's how I roll.