//Yay! Story number two! And this one is longer. . . imagine that. . Anyways I'm going to make this an open ended fic. As it is the story could be done, but I know everyone loves their lemons/limes. So here's the deal: If I can get at least ten, count em 10 reviews for it, I'll write a second chapter that will contain your daily dose of fruit. k? Doesn't sound too hard, I don't ask for much. Just feedback, cudos, cookies, even criticisms if there are any who dare. Not that I'm encouraging flamers, just giving you options so your task becomes even easier. Like taking medicine with a spoonful of sugar. . . Yea, I did just quote Merry Poppins.
As per certain laws that nobody ever reads, but everybody knows I state now that I own nothing of these characters, or the story of Death Note. I'm not making money, I'm just an inspired writer with a serious borderline obsessive urge to write about my current favorite anime/manga.
Enjoy! ^'^
Cure For The Common Shivers
It's freezing in here, but I know that if I move, it'll only get colder. Someone forgot to shut the window when they left, though it wasn't warm then either. Sometimes the motives of men baffle me. But sitting as I was, crouched in front of several TV screens, the cold didn't slap me in the back to announce its arrival. No, it seeped in like a poison. I didn't even realize it until my bare feet went numb and my body began to shake involuntarily. And like a child, I curled up a little more, trying to stave off the cold. I'm determined to finish this last bit of tape. I know there is some clue to cracking this case and it lies in this bit of surveillance.
An hour has passed and now I can't seem to unfold myself from the pretzel position I've managed to form. My hands are entwined around my knees, and my feet are tucked against my butt The shivers are even worse than before, as if my whole body has gone to vibrate mode. There may even be a few little frosty bits on my eyelashes, but it's too hard to tell without a mirror. On the bright side, I've finally finished reviewing all those tapes. There wasn't any solid evidence that I could see that clearly would have nailed the case, but there were a few small details I want the boys to look into tomorrow.
So now, the dilemma at hand would be deciding how I was getting up from the floor and making it someplace warmer without harming myself tripping over numb feet. I felt dead tired, though I know that at least forty percent of it was from the cold. It wouldn't do to get hypothermia at this point. Rarely have I ever been sick, though I do admit to a few stomach aches now and again. Light-kun asked me the other day how I could consume as many sugary things as I did and not get sick. So I told him.
"Of course I feel adverse effects, Light-kun. I get insomnia, great boosts of energy from the high and massive headaches from the crash. I used to throw up from the stomach aches I had as a child. Sometimes I get cravings for certain foods, but if it's not coated in sugar, my body just can't handle it anymore and it whips right through me. I'm lucky that I have good enough hygiene not to get cavities," I said.
"That sounds horrible. Why one earth would you want to condition your body to do this? I mean, aren't you worried you'll get diabetes, or something?" he gawked. I was quite surprised at the time, because no one had ever thought to ask me why I did it before. They just assumed it was one of my many eccentricities.
"Quite the opposite. You see Light-kun, there are two reasons why I do this. The first is the simplest to explain. I naturally have low blood sugar. My body doesn't produce enough glucose for daily functions, so I must supplement it with my diet," I explained. He gave me a look that clearly said he didn't believe that to be the only reason. Knowing that, made me appreciate his mind just a little more.
Throughout our time together, he had proven more and more to be an intellectual equal, quite competent to helping catch Kira. That was a double-edged sword, of course, because that made him also likely to be the very person we sought to capture. For the moment at least, he proved more useful than if left to his own devices, and if I could prove his involvement in the series of murders, it would make capturing him all the more easy. However, as of late it has been my most sincere wish that his intentions are pure and that he honestly isn't Kira. I admit that I enjoy our long talks and peaceful co-existence. We work well together and I feel as if I can put him on my very short list of friends. That doesn't mean I trust him, at least not entirely.
He sat in his chair and continued to wait for me to finish my thoughts. It was creepy how he seemed to know when I was lost in my own reverie. But he was always patient, knowing that I would continue in my own time. So donning a blank look that I knew unsettled many and using my trademark monotone voice, I continued.
"But you have probably guessed that even for that reason alone I still consume far more than is normal. That is because of reason two. It helps me get into a mind set where I can think clearer. I can decipher the patterns of criminals and even preconceive their actions. I get to think like a criminal so that I am better equipped to catch them. That alone is reason enough to do it. If my own discomfort can help make the world safer, then I'm willing to eat sugar till I go comatose."
Just thinking about that day made me shiver, which brought me back to the present. Still folded as I was, I realized that if I didn't move soon, I might be stuck this way for the rest of the night. The rest of the team would come in early as always and see an icicle L posed in front of his TV screens, eyes drooped closed in a fatally peaceful slumber. The very idea made me jump up in sudden fright. My joints cracked and my muscles screamed with the sudden action. I almost fell over, but grasping the back of the folding chair that was conveniently left out I maintained a precarious balance on my deadened feet.
"Well, step one seems to have gone alright. Let's see if we can make it the twenty steps to the bedroom," I murmured to myself. With a shaky sigh, I steeled myself for the next step as I let go of the chair. That was when my legs decided to go frigid and buckle beneath me. It seems they weren't quite ready for the exertion. Nonetheless I was undaunted and continued to pull myself back up to my feet. Again I fell, as the escaping heat took the strength I had from my arms, making me tumble back into the carpet. By then, what little heat I had managed to maintain in my core was steadily leaving my outstretched body.
"Ryuzaki? What was that noise?" I heard from down the hall. Thank goodness. I had completely forgotten that Light-kun was still here. Of course he was, I had him move in so that I could better monitor his actions. The cold must really be doing a number on me, I usually don't forget things like that so easily. He had retired earlier in the evening, claiming that he was getting up early to shop for his baby sister's birthday. A likely story, but I let him go anyway, knowing that either I, or one of the other members of the task force would accompany him.
"In here, Light-kun. I seem to be needing some assistance," I answered. Surprisingly, my voice came out quiet and raspy. Probably from so much exposure to the intense cold. Just when I thought he hadn't heard me and gone back to bed, a sound of sock covered feet padded closer.
"Jesus, it's freezing in here. Ryuzaki? Hey! What happened?" Light responded a little unnerved. He stepped closer and helped me to sit up. I clung to him, my breath coming in little clouds. Even the little warmth I could glean from his scant touch barely thawed the numbness.
"I was working and someone left the window open," I answered in a quiet voice.
"You're skin is ice cold," he confirmed when I touched his warm hand. "We better get you wrapped up or your going to catch your death out here," he replied while looking around the room.
"I must admit, your choice of words is less than encouraging."
"Hang on, let me get you a blanket." I barely contained the whimper that tried to escape as he stepped away, leaving me to mourn my fast escaping body heat. He was only gone a moment I'm sure, but when he did I jerked my head back up from where it had rested on my knees. It seems that I had drifted off slightly, not a good sign at all.
"Can you stand?" I stared at him for a heartbeat or two, knowing I heard him correctly, but still not catching myself to answer him. I was losing cohesion, another bad sign. Instead of voicing an answer, I just let my head sag back onto my knees. My body just felt so heavy and my mind which usually was all abuzz with activity wanted to slow down and sleep. Definitely not a good sign.
"Ryuzaki? Hey!?!!"
As I felt myself drift to the side, I caught a glimpse of Light-kun as he dove to catch me, a navy fleece draped across his arms. I remember thinking how I liked that color, navy, but I don't know if I actually owned a blanket that color. Then as my eyes slid shut a ring of warmth encircled me and I knew that darkness was soon to follow.
The dreams that followed that few hours of unconsciousness were fragmented and distant as if the dreams themselves could not quite reach me. I was fine with that, I never had much use for dreams. There were too many dreams and nightmares in my waking world to occupy me that the little sleep I did obtain needn't be stained with the extra activity. Sleep is a recharging period for me, nothing more.
Opening my eyes when I did regain consciousness seemed a little harder for me than actually waking up. I register a warm and fuzzy sensation all over and my eyelids feel weighed down, though I know this only to be illusory. It was all a state of mind, I could open my eyes anytime I wanted. I just felt too comfy to justify the need. Considering drifting off to sleep again, I almost didn't notice the shift of weight behind me. But a slender arm that had been draped over my waist rose to drape over my shoulder, pulling me closer to it owner.
My eyes opened a crack and I stared at the limp appendage as it loosened its hold. At equal intervals I began to notice things in my surroundings. First off there were several blankets wrapped around me, the navy fleece being the first of about four. Second, there was a pattern of movement behind me that accompanied a steady breathing and a radiating source of heat. Thirdly, if it was indeed a person laying beside me, it was a boy and he was having a very nice dream. I know this, because through the layers of fleece and cotton I could feel a stiffness that pressed against my lower back slightly every time the boy shifted in his sleep.
"Light-kun?" I whispered hesitantly.
//Little reminder: Don't forget to review! The goal is 10!