Fic: The Story of Raito and L
Author: Danielle Anderson
Pairing: Raito/L
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.
A/N: Inspired by sakurazukalori's SIMS and serria writing up a storm ;). Done with 30moments #15 Midnight Drinks. Hope you like.
Warning: genderswitch
Raito had become very fond of sleep.
It all started when his father had taken to overworking him and Matsuda's brain had started to degenerate to a pile of mush that he had to stay back in a darkened office room and trudge drearily through Everest-high stacks of boring paperwork that L had suggested several times to do half-assedly.
Raito had given her a disapproving look and said, "That is not the righteous way."
She then rolled her eyes as if to say, Don't tell me Kira is doing paperwork like bringing about the new world.
Well, he didn't know what Kira would do but careless work was not a noble thing and Raito Yagami liked to think of himself as noble. If this had been the Arthurian times, he would have been riding high on an elegant white horse, armed with a trusty sword and ready to rescue damsels in distress.
But L was no damsel and she certainly wasn't in distress and judging from the way she was leafing through that thick magazine (Mysterious Detective Solves The Case Again, it read), he knew it was going to be another long night alone.
L chose not to sleep. "It's a waste of time, Yagami-kun," she had told him offhandedly one afternoon with a flick of her twiggy wrist. "While one is in slumber, one may be attacked and robbed, or be unable to witness a crime or prevent it, even. And besides, lack of sleep even gives one a gentle appearance and makes them more alert."
Raito critically saw the heavy bags under her eyes, making her look older than she really was, her sallow skin, her dull voice and perpetual lethargy. "Right."
Most nights she would be glued to the computer as though it were a lover and she had no qualms about having an affair with him. He knew she wasn't but if she ever did decide to cheat on him, she would do it in the stealthiest manner not even a baby would wake up. And when he found the bastard, Raito would kill him with his bare hands and make pie out of him.
And L would eat that pie.
All right, yes, that thought was definitely a result of sleepiness. See? L was wrong. People did really need sleep. Where the hell did she get those weird ideas anyway?
He went to bed by himself because he didn't have the energy to coddle her to come join him. The blanket was warm, the mattress was soft and he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, ushering him into a dreamless slumber.
(Well, at least for the first few minutes.)
He dreamt of white spirals and red-and-white candy and grey skies and his father glaring at him and telling him what a failure he was as a son. His mother cried in the corner and Sayu tried to comfort her, and there was in pretty blonde goth girl standing behind him, her arms outstretched, her blue eyes begging him (but for what?) and he just didn't know what to say to any of them because he felt like he'd let him all down, even though he didn't mean to.
And then there was L. She was paler than usual, her hunched back turned towards him; he couldn't see her face, just her limp hands and the low murmur of her voice talking to two men in blue serge.
His eyes widened. Police officers.
And then she turned to face him and he expected to look into her black orbs.
But her eyes were hollow and when she reached out to touch him, her hand was cold and clammy.
Now the policemen were advancing towards him menacingly, and he broke away from her touch, heart pounding in his chest. He was desperately trying to run but his feet seemed glued to the concrete ground and L was looking at him blankly like she didn't give a damn about what he was going through...
And then he wanted to scream.
"Raito-kun."
The rich, baritone voice drew him from the depths of slumberland (more like Nightmareland, really) like a siren calling out to hapless sailors. Raito struggled in his sleep, trying to follow the voice, but losing track of it from time to time - it was too mellow - and almost giving up before he heard it again, sharper this time.
"Raito-kun."
And then, he opened his eyes -
Only to meet with an ebony cloak canopying the sky when he looked up and a dim yellow light coming from near his chest and a pair of soulless eyes staring down at him with calm curiosity, like a predator watching its prey.
As Raito's vision cleared up, he saw L's gaunt face lit eerily by the light at his chest, like he was being held in some kind of interrogation room, and his first thought was, Oh my God, she's betrayed me.
This was it. L had told the police that he used to be Kira and they were coming to arrest him any moment now and he would have to spend the rest of his life in incarceration for his (deliberately forgotten) crimes against humanity for the sake of justice.
Her thin lips moved. Sound came out.
"I want to listen to a ghost story."
If Raito had not been so busy staring at her, he would have blinked. "What?" he asked, his voice a groan.
"I want to listen to a ghost story," she repeated in monotonous tranquility, oblivious to the fact that he might have been having a bad dream, like it was the most natural thing to want in the world.
He stared at her for a few more minutes and she stared back, her unblinking gaze unnerving him in the dark (God, she'd actually pulled the blanket over them) and he took and deep breath and pressed his fingertips to his eyes. She tilted her head inquisitively, wondering what the matter could be.
"I had a nightmare," he told her.
"Ah, I see," the slightest of nods. "Yagami-kun was behaving a little oddly when he was asleep so I thought waking him up was the best option."
He looked at her. "And it had nothing to do with you wanting to hear a ghost story?" he said.
"Well," she replied with pensive honesty, "I admit it had mostly to do with that. But I didn't want you to suffer if you were having a nightmare."
Well, aren't you kind, he thought sarcastically.
To his surprise, L pushed aside his arm and then lay next to him, her head on his shoulder, pale arm clothed in white across his chest. He was about to ask why but then he decided that maybe this was her way of comforting him. And it was working, with her familiar scent and the soft press of her breasts against him, a soothing, comfortable feeling. His eyes were drifting shut again on their own accord and he was about to fall back asleep when the detective roused him again.
"Raito-kun," her tone was sharp and impatient.
"What is it?" he asked, groggy and annoyed, eager to travel to slumberland again (the real one), as he turned briefly to look at her.
"I want to listen to a ghost story," she said, petulant like a child.
"I'll tell you one in the morning," he answered, hoping it would shut her up. But it didn't and for someone who was taciturn, L could be very stubborn when she wanted something.
"Ghost stories are meant to be narrated at night," she explained. It was irritating him. He would've liked to say something snippy to her but she was pressing herself to him in a most pleasing manner, like she was wont to do whenever she wanted something from him (oh, she knew how to play dirty), and he was wide awake now, taking another deep breath to ease the crankiness building up.
He didn't know any ghost stories.
"I don't know any ghost stories," he said.
"Then make one up," came the reply.
He wondered what he'd done to deserve this. He thought long and hard, using all the creative faculties available at 2 AM, deciding that he could effectively use snippets from his own life.
"There was once a powerful and handsome demon named Ryuk, who would wear silver robes at night - "
L snorted, interrupting him. "Get real, Raito," her lips twitched in a slight sneer. "I remember what Ryuk looks like."
Which was an advantage for her, though Raito couldn't imagine it, no matter how many times she'd described Ryuk to him.
(How could a creature like that exist? How could he kill so many people and not remember it?)
No, he wouldn't think of that now, best concentrate on supernatural tales.
He thought a little more, did some brainstorming - L was starting to get impatient again, but he was ready soon.
And so, he began his tale.
"There was once a prince in the land of the Rising Sun who was handsome as he was arrogant, and passionate about the deliverance of justice."
L went absolutely still beside him. Raito took note of this and continued.
"He had everything he could possibly want and need but in his heart, he longed for an exciting life, one that would make him special, his existence meaningful. The prince soon got his heart's desire and found a means to tap into his potential, which had been wasting away because he did not have the opportunity to use it. A demon gave him a terrible power, only he didn't see it at first; he mistook it for something good and even though he was loath to admit it, the power was eating away at his soul, not to mention consuming countless lives, some innocent ones, all for his perverse vision of a new world.
"Now there was a brilliant princess from a faraway land of grey skies and dreary weather and she was older, in the business of outwitting criminals, for she was also passionate about justice. So when she heard about the prince, she was eager to find him out, prove his guilt and punish him for the whole world to see, for that was the terrible price of taking the law into one's own hands. The princess may have been wiser but she was no less arrogant than the prince."
To this, L rolled her eyes but made no comment.
Raito continued.
"It wasn't long before they met, the prince and princess, and almost immediately, they began their twisted games of cat and mouse, each trying to defeat - or rather, kill - the other. However, owing to luck and a devoted maiden eager to win the prince's heart, leading him to discover the princess's Achilles heel. Wasting no time, he used this in his advantage, holding her prisoner so that she would give up and stop trying to prevent him from paving his Perfect World. But things weren't all right, as the prince thought they would be, and very soon, he found himself falling for her, his best friend, his perfect enemy, and he wanted nothing more than for her to love him back."
Black eyes turned on him intensely, urging him to go on with the story. He gladly complied, his eyes on the now-visible ceiling.
"But the princess coldly rejected him, for she would never love him, not after everything he had done. The prince was depressed, wondering what he could do to change her mind and have her beside him as his queen when he gained the throne, and one rainy day, the princess yielded sweetly to him, his wish finally granted.
"However, unknown to him, she had a few tricks up her sleeve and she used his love against him, finally succeeding in defeating him, ensuring that he would suffer for the terrible power that he had wielded against the world. But during this time, even though she didn't want to admit it, she had fallen in love with him as well, and it was her deepest wish that they be able to live happily ever after, just like in the fairytales.
"As fate would have it, our prince was released from prison due to lack of evidence and by this time, he was very sorry for everything he had done because he finally realized that while he had good intentions, this was the totally wrong way to carry it out. He surrendered his power, in addition all his memories of using that power, because he thought that something so dangerous should not be there for humans to use. And he went to the princess, and she gladly took him back and they forgave each other because their love truly mattered.
"To this day, the prince does not think he deserves things turning out so well for him; he does not deserve his princess's love and devotion and he will never understand what he did to deserve so much happiness and - "
Raito couldn't finish his sentence, for L had cupped his face with one hand and pulled him down for a kiss. He was surprised in the beginning, thinking that it was her way of telling him to shut up. But her lips were gentle and loving against his, and he melted into it like snow in fire.
Finally, she drew back, looking up at him, her big black eyes wide and thoughtful and filled with so much love.
"That was a lousy ghost story," she told him.
"I know," said Raito, and kissed her again.
A/N: Weee! Cute Raito/L lovin'. I really do want to write a fairytale about them one of these days. Feedback is love ;).