Life Conquers Death
Summary: All it would take was a simple mistake, the smallest oversight on the part of two flawlessly accurate men to cause the downfall of the other. There are no prohibited lengths to which a man will prove another's guilt and another his innocence (L/Light)
Disclaimer: All credit for Death Note, including characters, original plot and remarkable quirkiness's of certain characters should be given to Tsugumi Ohba. Having the ability to visualize these characters and places are attributed to Takeshi Obata.
Chapter 1: A Late Night Decision
It was rather extraordinary how one word could be utilized to tie up such a convoluted philosophical idea. Justice. It was this one word that expressed the will to, if at all possible, create equality where inequality could easily develop. It provided numerous liberties that included the right to live. With a basic understanding of justice, a normal person would be led to agree that murder was wrong. Intentionally robbing someone of their life should and would eventually lead to a just punishment.
It was a shame that normal was such a relative term.
Watari had once asked L when he was still very young what made him believe his justice was right in comparison to anyone else's. The question had caught the boy off guard since there had never been any reason to question his logic before. Given, he had been asked when he was no older than five, but it had given him something to think about before pursuing his career as a successor to the former L.
He'd returned to Watari within an hour with what he thought to be a reasonable answer. This was only after every judgment he had ever made and could recall in his short life was revisited and painstakingly reconsidered.
"What makes you right, Lawliet?" Wammy repeated while looking up from a thick stack of documents on his desk as a disheveled child entered the room.
"What makes me right…" L tested the words in his own mouth to make certain he would answer appropriately. "Justice is blind."
This granted L a rather unexpected look from his new caretaker. Not that he cared to revise his statement, but clearly the older man was not satisfied with the reply. His predecessor, or at least that was what Wammy aimed for the man to be for Lawliet, was extraordinary with words and reasoning. It was only natural that this curt response met with Wammy's disapproval.
"There is nothing greater than justice." L amended himself. "I have the power to enforce it without the desire to internalize that power. I cannot be tyrannical without that desire, though I don't assert that I am above using that strength against whomever it takes to provide justice. Laws can be manipulated and evaded since they are mostly created through corrupt legislation, but I am impartial to laws. One cannot hope to be justice when bound by law."
"You hold yourself above written laws, then?"
"Yes." L's bare feet pattered against the marble floors as he closed the space between himself and Wammy. "I am Justice."
Now there was a chasm in the word justice that was being produced for the entire world to see. Two opposing interpretations that threatened to destroy the other in order to reestablish the definition were now at war. L was blind to the falsity and corruption that the enforcers of law had to offer, but that had been almost too easy to accomplish with the detachment he created for himself via Watari and his computer.
Kira had drawn L out of hiding- no, L had elected to reveal himself to spite Kira, and now there were a handful of men who knew the identity he was willing to disclose to them. One fact without substantial evidence that could not be overlooked was that L had also revealed his face to Kira. That in itself didn't worry L, however, he had also been forced to do the same for the second Kira.
Blind, impartial, right or wrong, Justice would be determined with the death of L or Kira. At this moment, Kira definitely had the upper hand.
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The faint glow of computer monitors in a darkened room did nothing to remind either occupant what time it actually was. Not that a reminder was essential, L thought to himself with slight annoyance as Light's hand moved lethargically to his mouth in order to stifle a yawn. Several hours had passed since Soichiro, who was consistently the last of the investigation team to leave, decided to make his way home. That had to make it nearly four thirty in the morning. That much could be concluded without either a clock or natural lighting.
Thoughts of that kind were nothing but interruptions. Why should he care to predict what time it was? But even Kira grew weary and slept. Now that was a feasible notion. Had he not once decided that Kira may have been a student who would, of course, sleep at roughly around this very time?
Yes, Kira would almost definitely be sleeping, or at the very least, tired. It could effortlessly argued that anyone would be drowsy after staring at papers and computers for twenty one hours. But Light had come off as someone willing to sacrifice sleep, which L considered trivial anyways. His efforts were crumbling with yet another half yawn. The yawn itself could simply be the outcome of many years of strict sleeping habits, but L didn't need to disprove what he already held to be true.
And the truth was, he was sitting next to a young man whose sleeping habits were similar to what he envisioned Kira's to be. He was sitting next to Kira.
"Light-kun," L's voice, however quiet he attempted to be, startled the younger man. "It would be greatly appreciated if you'd please not use your chained hand to shield your mouth. In any case, manners are pointless since no one is here to judge you by them."
Light barely acknowledge the other young man with much more than a sharp glare before clearing his throat to speak. Before he could verbalize his thoughts, he was interrupted.
"Kira's actions, however noble they seem to the general public, are wrong."
Light eyed his counterpart as he took special care to read into L's statement. It hadn't taken too long for him to learn that L said things in hopes of incriminating his only real suspect. At times it was almost impossible to respond in a way that satisfied his own opinion without evoking further suspicion form L.
"I agree." Light said with a sigh. "I can't imagine they'd accept that what you're doing is right any more than they'd be willing to call Kira a murderer."
"Even if the method he uses to punish murderers is in fact murder?" L seemed more than content to ignore Light's own jab at the way he handled the investigation.
"Obviously not." Light continued, his eyes falling to watch the steady pace at which L was typing. "Naturally we have information that allows us to see a side of Kira that others are more than willing to pretend doesn't exist."
"So if they had that information, what would they think?"
"I can't speak for such a wide range of people, but I highly doubt they would think differently about him. Kira, even if he is revealed to them as a executioner, gives them a sense of security that not even the police can offer."
L extended his hand towards a cup of tea he had neglected since it had been brought to him earlier in the evening. He touched the side experimentally, as if the heat hadn't yet escaped from the dark liquid inside. There would have been some level of disappointment if he had truly been expecting such an outcome, so L settled for pushing the cup of cold tea away and turned his attention back to Light.
"Kira is fulfilling their idea of what God is. There aren't many who see the acts of God as being bad, or evil."
"That is true." L agreed.
"I admit that I'm not an expert in regards to religion around the world, but in each I'm sure there are at least a few stories where even God kills man in order to restore peace. Some see that as…"
"A justifiable sacrifice." He finished softly. All productivity since L had begun speaking had ceased, rendering the investigation at a standstill for the evening. Neither appeared ready to leave the computers that allowed them to track Kira's movements. Light instigated the first movement by extending his arms over his head and stretching.
"You're more talkative tonight than usual, Ryuzaki." Light commented. "Can I safely assume that you don't have ulterior motives for bringing up something that doesn't necessarily seem related to what we've been researching?"
"Light-kun would be wrong to ever assume without sufficient evidence." L carefully shifted one tucked leg off the chair and onto the floor, then the other. "I assumed some vocal stimulation would prevent you from feeling fatigued. It can safely be said that we are now both in the wrong."
Light was unable to stop himself from expressing his irritation with yet another glare, though that was interrupted before it could fester too much. The moment L had stood, he had failed to mention that they would be relocating and Light's left wrist was snapped upward. It was only because Light had the slightest weight advantage over the gaunt detective that L was incapable of dragging him along.
"Maybe you are not as tired as you appear to be, then." L said, his eyes fixated on the door he intended to exit through.
"We're not staying here?" Light said almost disbelievingly. The handcuff that bound the two together had caused more conflict concerning personal habits than it did to prove Light was Kira.
Aside from the first night L claimed that the handcuffs were the only efficient way to constantly monitor Light, they had not slept on a bed. That he was even allowed to that first night was a small loophole L hadn't calculated. He couldn't very well have Light, whom the police officers still believed was innocent, sleep anywhere that they could call torturous. The last thing he needed was for them to interfere with Light's containment. L only needed to maintain that appearance for the first night, after which most worries were put to rest and forgotten all together when they moved the headquarters to L's newly constructed establishment.
Since then, Light opted for resting his head on the table. That is, he could very well ask L to move somewhere better equipped for resting, but to do so would be admitting defeat. If not defeat to Ryuzaki, which was something he could accept since he was his prisoner, then to Kira.
The position was still awkward and often left his shoulders and neck horribly stiff in the morning. But fighting sleep for the sake of saving himself some pain would not help him solve the Kira case. He was afforded some comforts, such as a blanket draped over his back or a small pillow placed just at the side of his face. Judging from the curious look he received from L the moment he awoke, he was sure these little luxuries were brought to him by Watari. Although that brought about another perplexing observation: L had not slept in the near two and a half weeks since Light's release from prison. Or at least that's what it seemed like since Light had not seen it himself.
"I would not have stood if my objective was to remain here, Light-kun."
With that, L was rewarded with slack in the chains and he continued towards his destination. In all honesty, Watari had encouraged L to use the room that had been built then quickly remodeled specifically for L's and Light's use. The room itself would have been an insult to the word lavish. Four white, empty walls enclosed two beds that were located within mere inches of one another. A desk had been clumsily shoved at the foot of one of the beds at L's request with a computer connected to the ones already at use downstairs.
It had yet to even be turned on.
The fact that Watari had even mentioned that L should allow Kira to consume the fruits of his labor had upset him more than he cared to admit. L would be lying if he didn't confess that his own lack of motivation often left Light to make up for the work that was being left undone, and therefore he should receive something akin to gratitude. Though it was much easier to brush off Watari because the man was the founder of an orphanage and most likely just couldn't stand to see Light, who was still quite young, suffer.
Well, regardless, Light was not Kira. For now.
L stopped abruptly before a door and pushed it open. If he hadn't already been slouching, L's frustration would have been seen by a slight drop in his shoulders. This was definitely a waste of his time. Psychological conditioning had wired his mind to associate this particular room set up with the promise of sleep. He already knew that he had maybe a few more hours before he, too, would begin to feel tired. But by that point Light would have already attained the rest necessary to continue his day.
Light examined the room briefly but chose not to judge the room's appearance. He busied himself by unbuttoning his shirt until L impatiently pulled both of them forward and stepped up onto one of the beds. There would be no work done tonight, L determined, making the computer useless.
"If this was such an inconvenience to you," Light began as L reached over, unlatching the cuff for a moment to allow Light to remove his shirt before hastily locking it once more.
"Light-kun, I've expended any need for discussion."
Light didn't respond, but it was apparent that he was angered by L's interruption. He turned his back to the detective and they both fell into silence.
L waited intolerantly for sleep to overcome his thoughts. Another hour passed, and the space resonated with the soft and steady breathing emitted by the sleeping teenager on the other bed. L looked over, his eyes long adjusted to the scarcity of light, and felt jealous at the ease Light had fallen asleep.
Strands of auburn hair fell across Light's face, his mouth parted slightly to amplify his breathing. Though sleep came quickly for Light, his body seemed to fight it as his limbs lay in an inelegant arrangement. He laid as though he had been giving great effort to stay on his back, but Light's right leg was kicked over the other, and his left arm hung off the bed.
Or was it the handcuff that his body was fighting against?
Yagami Light possessed a great amount of fight within him, regardless of his state of consciousness.
This had earned him a position next to L that very few people had ever been allowed. Not that Light essentially respected this, he was the only Kira suspect after all.
L scanned the ceiling, his mind racing with ways to have Light confess his guilt. It was a shame though, a waste even.
For many years now, L had been nourished with the most extravagant desserts and drinks that could be found in any given country he was working in. Sometimes work demanded so much attention from the detective that L would forget about his food or drink, as he had once again done tonight, and it would decay in front of him, taunt him even, until Watari removed it from his sight.
Light was one of the most fascinating people L had been fortunate enough to come across. Though his demeanor had changed drastically since they first met, and even more since they had attended the university on occasion together, Light was truly the closest thing L had to an equal. And like so many sweets that had gone to waste under L's presence, Light would soon be taken away.
A plan was needed, and personal feelings had to be put aside. L had his intellectual equals in Winchester. Light was just one of thousands of people he would come to know, though many were known from a distance.
This youth now content in his dreams would wake soon, innocent eyes desperate to prove to L that he was not a murderer. But as they both lay in the same room, there was no denying that their hands were stained with the blood of necessary sacrifices. Light had somehow forgotten and L could simply justify himself. The next one to bleed would bleed to death in the hands of the other.
Light would remember soon enough how he killed all those criminals. L already suspected that Light had done something, whether it be a clever act or actual amnesia, to discredit L's investigation thus far. While everyone was fooled, there was a chance that once Light remembered he would have obtained the means necessary to kill L.
"I won't die." L declared. He sat up with new resolve and would wait for awareness to return to Light.
Continued
I've noticed that many Death Note fics begin with the exploration of these two's sleeping mannerisms, and I hate being repetitive, but things will fall into place soon.
I'm still slightly new to this anime. I actually stumbled on a site that explained episode 25, I decided to give this show a chance. I have to say, I was still caught off guard and deeply saddened even though I was prepared for what happened. Now I'm in… denial isn't the word, but I'm regretful that such a character would go to waste to easily. With that said, I may make mistakes in the timeline, though I'll sure try my darnedest not to.
There is a very interesting triangle here, that encompassing L, Light, and Misa. She may not be my favorite character, but Misa triggers events that throw off even L. It's clear that L has a little infatuation with her, though I assure this will -not- pair these two together… necessarily.
This may, as a warning to what seem to be the minority for this anime(those who don't appreciate L/Light pairings), become a slight L/Light... uh, pairing. Let's face it, for lack of other characters and my own distaste for other, unknown characters, these two make a pretty good pairing.