Another fic after a long period of not-writing. I don't really know if I'm happy about this but I can't think of any other way to fix it so I stopped. It's been long time since I finished reading Death Note, so I may have gotten a fact or two wrong. If I did, please let me know.
Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
Trapping Light: Obsession
L is eating a lollipop when he first notices it.
Pausing in the middle of licking the treat, he stares at the television screen, cocking his head sideways as the reporter announces the sudden death of criminal in prison. She rambles about how the police are shocked by the unexpected incident, emphasising that he was in perfect condition before dropping dead. After describing the scene, she moves on to discussing the current political battles between major companies.
Bending forward, he drops the huge lollipop of red and white swirls onto the table. Then, he stands up and turns to face the only other occupant of the room.
"Watari, I'm going to use the laptop."
In less than 24 hours, L has dug up all information relating to the mysterious heart attacks, including what he suspects is the first of many murders. After satisfied with the timeline – at least, for now he is – he starts analysing the data he has collected.
In 72, he has determined a possible starting point, targeted certain age groups, added footnotes to the events to mark the slight changes in activity, guessed at a few methods of carrying out the killings, and formed an initial profile of the mastermind behind all this. By the end of the week, he has gone through every little detail three times, combed with meticulous precision for every single possibility and updated his observations to fit in recent additions.
The laptop beeps and a voice comes through. "L, the setup is finished."
"Thank you, Watari," he says to the microphone. Swallowing the last piece of cake whole, he places the plate down on the floor next to him and casts one final glance at the notes around him. In his mind, he arranges what he intends to say to the Interpol, sorting through the words to make sure he doesn't mention anything important.
Then, he picks up the small microphone and holds it to his mouth. "Put me through."
L is chewing on his thumb, gnawing at the skin there with his perfect teeth. In front of him, confection of all kinds cover every inch of the table, the discarded wrappers and still-full plates leaving not a single free space in sight.
By now, he has a pretty good idea of the kind of person Kira is. All the observations he has made from their faceless interactions with each other, he has pieced together to form a rough mental image of his mysterious foe.
This is how he imagines it:
A good straight posture – Kira is very confident in his capabilities. In addition to that, from the way he reacted to the live-on-television challenge, L got the impression that he is very, very proud. To hold all that in, Kira would either have to be a remarkable, reliable person that stands out positively in a crown or one of those insane scientist cartoon character they air on television every now and then. He decides on the first of the two.
Sharp eyes – above average intelligence, to have eluded capture and still find the time to drop him clues and hints, combined with a keen sense of observation would form careful but at the same time suspicious eyes.
Arrogant – not only has some of his actions been carefully rash, Kira has even gone as far as to boast of his ability to kill anyone, whenever, wherever and however he wishes. Such an ability would definitely give a huge boost to his pride; power would have that effect on anybody.
An extreme sense of justice – no matter how wrong his actions may be, there is no denying that Kira's prime targets are atrocious criminals and several smaller wrongdoers.
Strong willpower, good but ultimately deviated principles, maybe a formidable set of social skills…
This is the image L sees as he works. Behind every challenge, every new murder, this is the person he faces.
This is Kira.
Although lately, there has been a strange occurrence, one that is repeating over and over again. Whenever he is working on the Kira case – which is, really, all the time these days – a shady figure stands close by, watching. His face is shrouded by shadows, a dark, vague figure and every time L turns to try getting a closer look, the figure dissipates into the air like dust. It disappears so fast that he thinks he might have imagined it save for the fact that it has happened far too often for it to be a mere figment of his imagination.
Staring at the blank white wall, he mulls over the thought. It's strange. He has always been determined about all of his previous cases, driven to solve the mysteries to the point that he goes without sleep for days on end but never has any of his suspects ever emerged from his notes and research to haunt him.
Shrugging to himself, L returns to analysing the latest set of video recordings. The minute he stops straining his eyes and focuses on the moving pictures in front of him, the figure comes back.
In the next few days, he gets Watari to double the security measures as he himself creates elaborate codes and intricate puzzles to ward off bad intentions. He has stopped leaving the house completely, cutting all ties to the outside and transferring the responsibilities over to his caretaker. He takes hiding his identity to a whole new level as he eyes the world with a suspicion tiptoeing the line between detached indifference and hard, cold malice, all the while consuming more sugar than he ever has in his entire life.
If Watari notices the sudden increase in paranoia, he doesn't say.
It's not as if he's scared, because he is most definitely not; L doesn't get scared. Being paranoid, like many other characteristics, stands for a great number of things. In his case, he is simply being cautious. Caution is important in his line of work; it is the quality that determines the end – successful or failed, victor or loser, life or death. This coupled with suspicion keep him alert, always watching for a mistake, always ready to catch a culprit in the midst of a slip-up.
So, no, he isn't scared. Not at all.
He is, however, obsessed with Kira. Enthralled, infatuated, entranced, captivated, mesmerised, hypnotised, fixated – whatever the word is, his mind is full of the murderer. 'If I did this, how would Kira react?' 'Why did Kira decide to show this to me?' 'Why didn't he do this?' 'Is this connected to the case or is it simply a misdirecting clue?'
'What is he thinking of doing next?'
It's a competition, a constant battle of wits and guts against each other. They move with constant vigilance, each testing the opponent. They invent and throw challenges at each other, parrying every new confrontation with a conundrum of their own, always watching, always trying to gain the upper hand.
A race to find the other first.
It doesn't quite matter what the proper name for this feeling is. One thing's clear: L is being challenged with the most complex riddle of his life and he isn't going to back down.
Regardless of the why, L is going to find Kira, and he is going to win.
Yagami Light is a straight-A student with a flawless academic record. He has absolutely no involvement in crimes or small-time violence; he is an understanding older brother who is willing to help a sibling with school work; he is a good son who never asks for too much and does what he can to ease the burdens on his parents' shoulders; he has an easy-to-get-along with attitude and the kind of intelligence which makes him good social company all around; he is suitably ambitious and is not reluctant to work towards achieving his goals; he is pleasant, polite, kind and respectful.
Overall, he is perfect.
Too perfect, in L's opinion. No one could possible be so wholly good and flawless. Everyone has faults; it is a human trait. To have no faults whatsoever would make him non-human, an extra-terrestrial being from a planet thousands of light years away.
Which leads to the only other possibility: Light is faking it. Perhaps not his entire personality, but definitely a bit here and there. He also seems to be seeking a future in law-enforcement – a good enough motive to begin with. With his intelligence, his position, his mental views and sense of justice, there is a chance that if something were to happen at a certain time in such a way, Light could do the things Kira is doing now.
Hence, his first identified suspect: Yagami Light.
Still, a name isn't enough. Assumptions alone will not suffice if he intends to capture and reveal Kira to the world. He needs better proof, concrete substances to show for.
Staring at the notes spread out on the floor around him, L stirs his sweetened tea with a small, silver spoon. Assuming that Light is indeed Kira, how does he go about proving it? Strict monitoring of his activities already failed to bear fruit, and having someone tail him resulted in the death of 12 FBI agents.
He selects several sugar cubes and drops them, one by one into his beverage. Then he picks up one rather large cube and pops it into his mouth.
Perhaps a more direct method is necessary. Of course, torture is out of the question, especially without substantial proof. That and the chief being the father of said suspect more or less discouraged him from considering that as means of furthering the investigation. Interrogation wouldn't work either, not with someone of Light's mental capabilities. No, if Light lets anything slip it would either be intentional or a rare mistake. Which means open communication is needed, and it has to be frequent and ongoing for a long length of time.
Maybe…yes. Maybe that.
L raises the small cup to his lips and takes several large gulps. Out of the corner of his eye, the shadowy figure flickers by the wall.
The assembly hall is packed with people. Student chatter fills the air as naturally as if words are part of the atmosphere. The noise rings a little in his ears – after all, he hasn't been in a crowd this big since, well, a very long time ago. However, this problem is easily solved. With a little effort, the steady prattle of the people around him fades into the background; it isn't important. Right now, his attention is completely focused on the person a few seats away.
A familiar figure sits with the air of someone formally relaxed, casual amidst the official, ceremonious surroundings. His expression is guarded, in such a way that it looks normal upon first glance but when L squints harder, the guise seems just a little off.
L stares, but he is careful to keep it discreet. His one sure advantage here is having the element of surprise on his side. Once their eyes meet, he would lose that and things might not go according to plan.
Some distance to his right, L recognises a dark shape hovering behind the chairs of two girls deep in discussion about something, debating the issue in eager tones accompanied by animated hand gestures in the air. The shadow flickers again and he notices, with some semblance of satisfaction that the figure seems lighter in colour, the intensity of its presence thinned enough to make it almost transparent sometimes.
He is excited; there is anticipation bubbling in his chest as they stand and move in the direction of the stage. As he get closer, L is able to observe more clearly his current mark and notes the confident posture, the eyes, the facial expression.
The shadow by the wall creeps forward as they walk, moving faster and catching up to them a few feet from the stage. It pauses right next to Yagami Light, swaying on the spot as if being pushed by a sudden breeze. Then, in one abrupt movement, the shadow closes the last bit of space between him and the chief's son in a sudden jump towards him.
The lines meet easily, edges perfectly aligned as the phantom merges with the other's body. Light himself does not react, never pausing in his stride.
L can barely contain a smile. Leaning forward a little, he speaks in a tone loud enough for only the honour student to hear. "I am L."
The other man's shoulders tense a little and there is a split-second pause in his step before he resumes walking. L continues up the stage as well, still fighting to control the triumphant grin threatening to break into his expression any minute.
He has made his move. It is as perfect as he had hoped it would be. Now, it is Kira's turn.
L slouches into a more comfortable position and waits.
End
Thank you for your time! All comments would be greatly appreciated.