The Christmas List, a death note fanfic

~*~1. The List~*~

Twas a few days before Christmas, and all through the house, chaos was stirring, with Light in the house. For Kira was plotting, and L was a scheming, not of presents, or Santa, or snow, were they dreaming. Visions of sugar plumbs danced in L's head, but Light on the other hand, was just seeing red…

Light sighed as he rapidly flipped through the pages of the book he was, or was pretending to read. Though Christmas was quickly approaching, Light couldn't have cared less about the holiday, or anything even remotely associated with it. To Kira, Christmas was an overly commercialized holiday, characterized by dancing snowmen, genetically manipulated reindeer, and a morbidly obese man, who overindulged in cookies and sweet treats, not unlike a certain detective he knew. Sure, some underlying moral values of "peace on earth" and "goodwill towards men" were there, but were they really? Was Christmas really different from any day out of the year? To him, it wasn't. As Kira, this holiday should have appealed to Light, should being the operative word. Light merely had accepted the fact that even though the Christmas season should have revolved around kindness, generosity, and good will, it would never fully do so. Pickpocketers would always steal the handbags and shopping bags of little old ladies, robbing them and their loved ones of the happiness Christmas presents would bring. Criminals would always shoot at others. The victims' mangled bodies would lay in a cold and icy ally-way, staining the pure white snow around them a deep crimson hue, while frostbite nipped and ate at their limbs, all this before they froze to death, their pleas for help and mercy ignored. Being that it was Christmas gave these criminals no change of heart. The fact of the matter remained. Crime would always lurk in the shadows of the night, in each dark and icy ally. Behind each and every "winter wonderland" was a land of sin, corruption, and crime. Pausing for a moment, Light cocked his head sideways to look out the window. Snowflakes cascaded from the darkened sky, dancing gracefully to the ground amidst the winter surroundings. The trees below adorned with colored light, shone brightly in the approaching darkness and the silence of the night fell upon the land nearby until…

Crunch…crunch…crunch…

"Ryuuzaki! Must you chew with your mouth open? You're making a lot of noise." Light snapped, as his head whirled around to find Ryuuzaki sitting in his normal fashion on the couch directly opposite him, gnawing greedily at a candy cane. The detective looked up at him, only temporarily though, his large eyes filled with nonchalance.

"You know, Light-kun," he began, his voice monotonous as always, "Scientists and studies have shown that peppermint is good for the brain, it boosts memory and…"

"And gives cavities…" Light interrupted, "Dentists have proven that sugar leads to cavities, L, and no matter how you claim that sugar helps the brain, sugar also leads to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and health risks."

L disregarded Light's attack of his eating habits and continued right where he left off. "Light-kun, I said, peppermint, not sugar, though as I have personally observed, sugar promotes good brain function. However, the combination of peppermint and sugar helps me think more clearly and helps me with my work. Even Kira could use a little help when it comes to that regard…"

Irked by his accusation, Light stood, "For the first, last and final time, Ryuuzaki! I…AM…NOT…KIRA!" he shouted.

"By my observations, I very well suspect you are, though the percentage varies from day to day depending on actions and other factors…" he continued, despite the fury and rage that shown in Light's eyes and face.

As he proceeded to yell at Ryuuzaki, for what must have been the millionth time this week, he felt his cell vibrate. Misa-Misa, who else would it be, he thought in the back of his mind, as he shoved his hand into his pocket, searching for his cell phone.

"Hello?" he yawned tiredly.

"LIGHT-KUN!" came an ecstatic scream from the other end of the line. Light jumped slightly out of shock, and held the phone slightly away from his ear, dreading another outburst from his supposed "girlfriend".

"What is it Misa?" Light asked, his tone hinting somewhere between boredom and indifference.

"Misa-Misa misses boyfriend-chan!" she announced, like that wasn't obvious enough.

"I miss you too, Misa." Light quickly lied, despite a small chuckle from L. Light swatted at the detective who slightly flinched before returning to his precious candy cane.

"Misa-Misa wants to go on a date with boyfriend-chan right now!" she demanded, rather angrily this time. It seemed as if her very existence fringed on Light's answer.

"You know I can't do that Misa, L and I are busy working on the Kira investigation, we've recently gotten a few new leads and…"

"And what, are you saying that you have no time for girlfriend-chan anymore? Are you saying that Misa-Misa is worthless to you, that you're USING MISA-MISA and don't love her because you won't go on a date with her?!?!" Misa interjected, rather overdramatically.

"I do love you Misa, but…"

"But what? You have a cold? Is Light-kun sick?!?! Oh no! He must be because he was sniffling the last time I saw him!" she insisted.

"No, Misa! I am not sick!" Light snapped, throwing an arm up in utter frustration.

"Then you'll come! You'll meet me in the mall at Okinawa in five minutes!" she declared.

"Misa!" Light started, trying everything possible in his power to stabilize his temper. "There is no way on earth I can be in Okinawa in five minutes…"

"Okay, then you'll be there in thirty minutes! And no Pervert-san! Misa-Misa needs to go shopping and Light-kun is going to help her!"

Light looked absently down at his handcuff then lifted his hand, the chain clashed to the wooden floor with a slight bang, and tugged at the cuff on Ryuuzaki's arm. "No Misa, if I come, which I'm not, Ryuuzaki is coming too!"

Ryuuzaki glanced up, hearing his name, but Light shook his head, and shook his hand, trying to dissuade Ryuuzaki of asking any questions.

"Fine!" Misa huffed, "You're coming and you're bringing him too! Meet me outside the front entrance, kay?"

"Yes Misa. Goodbye." he replied, before closing his phone.

Ryuuzaki looked up at Light inquisitively, throwing aside the candy cane wrapper he had been fiddling with for the past few moments.

"Get shoes on, your feet will freeze, we're going to Okinawa." Light stated, uninterestedly.

Ryuuzaki glanced at Light curiously, and then stood, not before almost tripping over his handcuff chain. "Why?" he inquired, "Has Amane-san found a new lead for us to follow?"

"No Ryuuzaki, we're going on a date, and you're coming because you won't take off these stupid handcuffs!" Light whined childishly as he raised his arm, revealing the handcuff and chain, in a pathetic attempt to prove his point to the world's greatest detective.

The Okinawa Mall was bustling with last minute shoppers. Like grasshoppers in a field, the customers bounced quickly from store to store, carrying package after package, being careful not to drop anything, as their shoes clicked against the linoleum floor. Fussy infants in strollers wailed in agony as their mothers and fathers pushed them down the main corridor before slipping into this store or that store. Simultaneously, their older brothers and sisters tugged at the skirts of their mothers, or the pant legs of their fathers. They begged and pleaded in vain for that special toy, or that puppy, or the one thing they just had to have, only to be told, "Not now, I'm busy." The halls were as crowded as the rush hour trains, which when decorated with wreaths, snowmen, presents, and stars gave the mall a festive touch.

"This is such a waste of time…I could be working on the investigation…Misa isn't even here…" Light muttered as he trudged down the busy corridor, shoving past merchants and customers alike. Cheery Christmas carols played in the background and though Light thought he heard something resembling Santa Claus is Coming to Town, he couldn't at all be sure. L on the other hand, rather enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the busy mall; the corridor they currently walked down housed many merchant stands, each of which sold fudge, gingerbread, fruitcake, or a combination of all three. L stared longingly at each of the displays, yearning desperately to taste spicy gingerbread on his tongue. Alas, his hopes too were in vain, for Light continued to push through the crowd, dragging the detective with him.

As they entered the center of the mall, the music grew louder and the crowding, much worse. "You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling you why! Santa Claus is coming to town!" blared the speakers up above. Light glared at the speaker in irritation, though he well knew there was 100% nothing he could do about it.

"What is this?" Light barked, as he accidentally bumped into another man. Quickly apologizing, he turned around, only to bump into Ryuuzaki. "Oh, it's you." he muttered bitterly as he craned his neck up to look for Misa.

"If I must say so, Amane-san told you to meet her at the front entrance." Ryuuzaki muttered matter of factly.

"There is no way Misa is waiting out there in the cold, we were seven minutes late getting here and the entrance was as crowded as I don't know what, it's like Kira was here signing autographs or something!" he exploded.

Ryuuzaki chuckled a little, "Kira signing autographs…how interesting…" his eyes danced with amusement as he contemplated the very thought.

"Why else would the mall be this crowded?!" Light exclaimed, rather annoyed with everything.

"Perhaps that, is the answer," Ryuuzaki suggested, as he pointed to a Christmas display in the center of the mall, a line curved tightly around it. The display, like many others around the area housed a cheery rendition of Santa's house.

The house, like many others of the day, was fashioned quite similar to a gingerbread house, at least in Light's opinion it was. Silver Christmas ball ornaments embellished the otherwise deerskin colored house. They shimmered and glistened, reflecting the light from above, off into the sea of shoppers. Peppermints and candies galore latched to the roof's top looked realistic enough to make Ryuuzaki's mouth water, even amongst the fluffy fake snow that rested in between the candies; all this in addition to the tops and structure of the evergreen Christmas trees, which lined the house in an orderly manner. An out of place snowman or nutcracker mouse also stood, somewhere in the menagerie of holiday fare. From the side, one could see a silhouette of Santa Claus and at least one of his "elves", who took pictures. This elf, a racy blonde, much resembled Misa and Light thought for a moment that the girl very well could be Misa, working a new part-time job perhaps? Possibly, if this figure was Misa in fact, this could be the reason she wanted him to meet her at the mall. Light shook his head, the very thought was improbable; Misa wasn't desperate enough to stoop this low, for money. After all, "Santa" or this version of the jolly fellow, extorted unsuspecting children's parents for money after their little cherubs poured out their hearts deepest desires of what would make them happiest on Christmas morning. The very process repulsed Light greatly. After all, extortion in itself was a dreadful crime, a crime that society obviously supported if even a supposed saint and holiday hero participated in it. Just goes to show the extent of society's corruption.

The music gradually increased in volume again as Light stood on tiptoes, in an attempt to steal one more glance at the girl, in order to determine for sure or not if she really was Misa. It was no use; the music was way too loud. Light glanced around for Ryuuzaki and saw the chain disappear between several bodies but caught no sight of the detective, "Probably looking for Kira signing autographs…" he muttered to himself before bumping into the person ahead of him again.

"Damn it, Misa! Where are you?" he cursed loudly, even though little children toddled around. Parents glared at Light in disgust, but "God" could have cared less at this point. To make matters worse, the Christmas music soundtrack had broken and a certain line from, Santa Claus is Coming to Town kept repeating over and over again, driving those insane from lingering in a never moving line for three hours beyond the brink of insanity. "He's making a list, and checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming, to town!" it boomed. Thinking he heard someone call, Light whirled around only to see no one. He tugged on the chain, rather firmly, in hopes Ryuuzaki would understand and make his way towards him. Unfortunately, for Light, he had no such luck.

"Making a list, sure he is…maybe if in some twisted alternate reality he was really Kira…" He scoffed at the very idea. And then it dawned on him, the very implication seemed rather silly at first, but the more he thought about it, the more the "idea" grew into a full blown epiphany. Santa was Kira.

Well, not Kira per say, more of a miniature version; Santa Claus didn't kill, he couldn't kill. If Santa was Kira, it would be far too easy to have him arrested. Everyone knew he lived at the North Pole, and everyone knew he visited the homes delivering presents to the good girls and boys on Christmas Eve. Setting up a sting operation would be almost too easy, just catch him going down the damn chimney! Now, granted, many imposters did linger in malls and on street corners, collecting money for needy families and so on and so forth. However, Light hypothesized that some way; somehow, they could be connected, and were connected, connected to the head honcho in charge. At least, if all the said rumors were true. It was then when another thought dawned on Light, if half the Santa Clauses in the world truly were "imposters" or "fakers", even "helpers", how was it possible, was it possible to find the true Santa Claus? Light pondered this before entertaining another thought. This list, the naughty list, how did Santa determine just who made this list? There were the obvious suspects, the juvenile delinquents, the murderers (if there even were any), but what were the determining factors? Little Yuu constantly fights with his older sister, how does that set him apart from little Kai, who consistently disobeyed others? Was there criteria? A rubric? Or, did Santa merely observe behavior patterns of the children of the world? Could he even do that? Sure, he could! Surely, there was some psychologist who had done some kind of study like that. How did Santa, or Kira-whatever number he was, formulate his "naughty" list? Did he think similarly to Kira? Condemning those he felt deserved punishment? Nevertheless, despite the infinite possibilities, the list still existed, that was fact, and fact always remained less likely to change then mere possibilities. His mother had constantly warned him to act kindly towards Sayu as a child, or else, Santa would leave him a lump of coal in his stocking. It was even a line in a Christmas Carol for goodness sake! He also entertained the possibility of all this being a lie. He already felt Santa was corrupt, he had long established that, but perhaps his underlying values weren't. Rewarding the good and punishing the evil sounded within the realm of his morals. Granted, they did differ slightly, but the underlying cause was the same. He was, well a God, obviously God's rewarded the good and the just for their earthly work while damning the wicked into the fires of the inferno, to rot for their misdeeds. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was right. Santa was Kira, a corrupted version. One who extorted families for money and accepted bribes. And yet, somewhere his heart, Santa was in alignment with Kira, and his cause. Yes, Santa had long existed before Light knew of Death Notes and shinigami, but he had tried and was trying. As Kira, Light had to help him, but how? The thought of Kira helping anyone as corrupt as this man repulsed him slightly, yet in a way he knew he had to help, had to point Santa on the right path towards creating a more perfect world. After all, if Kira didn't help Santa, conditions as everyone knew them wouldn't change...they couldn't. It was at that moment in time Light knew what he must do...he had to get his hands on Santa's naughty list.

Ryuuzaki found himself temporarily separated from Yagami-san, due to the high number of those in the crowd. Ordinarily, this would have slightly bothered him, wondering if Yagami found an escape, a way out. If he really was Kira, which according to him he was, half the criminals in the world could have been killed. He disregarded this theory though, from his standpoint, it would have been stupid for Kira to do such a thing, and any action that even resembled an escape would impose suspicion on Yagami-san, not a smart move. At this moment in time though, other, more pertinent things distracted him, "things" being free samples of fudge.

"Yes...oh I do like this one, the perfect balance of 65% cocao, sugar, and cream..." he observed, licking a small plastic spoon, while gazing thoughtfully into the display case at the blocks of chocolate fudge, walnut fudge, peanut butter fudge, and vanilla fudge. The very sight made his mouth water as he dug his hands into his pants pocket to search for his wallet; there was no possible way that he could pass this up. As he pulled out his wallet, Ryuuzaki noticed a tight tug on the chain. He sighed in annoyance and glanced to his left following the taut chain. It disappeared into the ocean of mall shoppers; Light Yagami was nowhere to be seen. With a huff and a sigh, he quickly ordered a slab of chocolate fudge, impatiently waiting for the candy counter girl to package his order.

"He's making a list, and checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming, to town! He's making a list and…" the stereo blasted, repeating the same line over and over again. Though Ryuuzaki wasn't all for the holiday spirit, the Christmas season actually appealed to him. For Ryuuzaki, Christmas meant all of his obvious sweets plus the holiday goodies as well. Munching on fudge, Christmas cookies, and peppermint bark to his heart's delight naturally satisfied him. From a detective's stance though, Christmas was anything but satisfying. Crimes committed around Christmas, though usually easier to solve, always revolved around unusually heartless and cruel intentions. The murder of the homeless, robbing of the poor, and elderly; in essence, the crimes were disgusting, on more than their usual level. Turning his head around, in a pathetic attempt to locate Yagami-san, Ryuuzaki was shoved to the left, face planting onto the ground. "He's making a list, and checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming, to town! He's making a list and…" the song continued, almost mockingly. Ryuuzaki nonchalantly picked himself up and brushed himself off as he continued to look for Light.

"My God," he hissed in annoyance to the many around him, "It's just as Yagami-san said, Kira must be signing autographs!" It was as fate would have it that another person clumsily bumped into Ryuuzaki, that his frail body was pushed in the direction of the Santa shop, and that his eyes caught a quick glimpse of Santa, like someone had given him a sign from above.

"List, checking it…Santa…no, I haven't eaten enough sugar…" he muttered, as he reached into his bag, biting a rather large chunk of fudge. Chewing and swallowing slowly he began to talk to himself, oblivious to the fact that practically the whole mall or anyone in the general vicinity could see a disgusting blob of chocolate paste in his mouth. "The odds are against it 37.254% I would say…but then again, possibly not…Light Yagami has been unable to locate Amane. It has now been approximately one hour since she should have arrived, unless Yagami-kun already located her…" No, no, this possibility was impossible to Ryuuzaki, or at least 58% impossible. If Light had located Amane, why would he still be tugging on the cuff, or why hadn't he come over? Unless the tug meant that Yagami-san had located Amane. No, no, that wasn't right, even throughout the annoying music and the loud noise of the crowd Ryuuzaki should have been able to hear Amane. After all, he and Light were handcuffed together; Light couldn't have been that far away. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, or as much sense as it would make to him. Amane wishing to go on a date was merely a cover up; yes, she and Yagami-san hadn't been on a date in the past few days, but nothing terribly long that she just had to see him. He heard her tone on Light's cell phone, nothing horrible had happened, Amane was just fine. No, they were plotting something; Kira and the Second Kira were up to no good…again. Thoughts of this and that popped into Ryuuzaki's head, most of which he dismissed as irreverent, however, he kept coming back to the notion that Santa had something to do with this. Logically, he had no proof, just intuition to back him up. While he agreed that one should never always depend on intuition and emotion, this feeling had some significance, he just couldn't identify what yet.

"He's making a list, and checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming, to town! He's making a list and…"

"I wish they would stop the annoying music! I know already Santa's checking the nice and naughty…" he paused there, mid sentence, the thought finally hit him, Santa's naughty list. Ryuuzaki had kept Light Yagami aka Kira in close contact at all times. Mainly, he had hadn't seen many dangerous criminals lately. No doubt about it, the killings hadn't ceased, but Kira needed more. Kira needed some sort of developing plan on who to kill next. Santa Claus had kept this list up all year, all the naughties in the world you could say. This list, absolutely perfect for Kira to get his hands on, pick and choose the serious offenders on the list and kill them, ridding the world of crime. That was after all Kira's mission, to rid the world of evildoers, wasn't it? Ryuuzaki pondered this for a while, he had to go and see Santa, if the naughty list fell into his possession, he could lock it up, keep it away from the clutches of Kira. He felt, no, he knew he could probably do a better job of keeping the list away from Kira, especially if Kira already knew of this list.

"Ryuuzaki! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Light exclaimed, suddenly emerging from the crowd.

Ryuuzaki knew he had to see Santa; he had to get that list, now if only there was a subtle way to do it…

Light knew he had to find Santa, after all, he was a corrupted form of Kira…he had to help him, had to get that list.

The list…

I have to get that list!!!

"I think I saw Misa over there, by Santa!" Light quickly lied, he needed to get that list, more than anything possible.

Trick or not, Ryuuzaki thought, it was getting him closer to Santa and that list. Light was fast, but he was faster. He needed to get that list. "Where? Show me." he replied in his monotonous voice.

"This way, come on…" Light said, directing Ryuuzaki through the crowd. He half hoped that the detective suspected nothing, but half suspected that he did.

"I'm on to you, Light Yagami, I know you're up to something, what it is I believe I know also…" Ryuuzaki thought silently to himself.

I have to get that list!

The list!