In Another's Shoes

Disclaimer: Death Note is the copyrighted property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, not me. If I owned Death Note I would be the happiest person on this beautiful little planet. But I'm not, and therefore it is not mine.

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had the idea for it floating around in my mind-soup for a while, but I haven't been able to muster the courage to actually post it as a story until now. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I have the habit of triple-editing my work sometimes to get things absolutely right.

Also, I would like to point out to first-time readers that this story is going to be a bit weird at times, but I am doing my best to approach the situation as realistically and in-character that I can. If you see any flaws, mistakes or if you have any constructive criticism for me, feel free to speak your mind (within reason, please; flaming doesn't help anyone).

Chapter One: The Stage is Set

It had been four months, twenty-one days and approximately seventeen hours since Light had set foot outside the investigation headquarters; four, almost five torturously long months since he had felt a breeze on his face, or breathed fresh air, or really gotten to stretch his legs.

The Kira Case had become especially intense during the past four months, since Kira had been especially active. The average amount of criminals killed daily had been higher than ever before, and had thusly increased the workload imposed on the small task force. If any of the members complained about the situation, howeverm they would received a lecture from L on how even one criminal's circumstances, even one new death could provide a crucial piece of information towards the discovery of Kira's identity. After a while, nobody bothered to complain. The older task force members stayed long hours working at the investigation headquarters, resulting in less time to spend with their families. Nerves began to strain, with tempers stretching precariously thin for even the most good-natured of the investigators. they needed a break, or they were going to snap.

Light, however, had been the person most effected by the prolonged intensity of work, having been chained to L for the entire time. The detective had the habit of working, without cessation, through both the night and the day. L was also steadfastly stubborn, refusing many a time to move his laptop to the bedroom so that the younger man could get proper rest. Light's sleeping habits deteriorated drastically, and as they did bags formed under his eyes and he slowly grew less socially inclined. He barely spoke at all , and when he did, his speech was short and biting. Not only was he constantly deprived of sleep, but Light had been unable to leave the investigation building at all, not even to see his family. He was, by now, significantly paler than normal from having stayed indoors for so long, making his already piercing amber eyes standing out vividly against the new pallor of his skin.

Another effect of constant confinement was that Light had become exponentially more irritable, having already had a thin temper before. Fights between he and L, involving both verbal and physical attacks, had become almost a daily occurence. The rest of the investigation team tread very softly around the two, lest they lash out at anyone besides each other.

Light was restless from his inaction. His muscles ached to move, but the handcuff's chain restricted him to moving within a certain radius of his sleepless roommate. Light had taken to pacing back and forth for long periods of time, scowling at anyone and everyone in the room all the while, but especially at L.

The older man had slowly been digging his way under Light's skin, every one of his strange, infuriating quirks becoming more painfully aggravating to the brunette with each passing day. The sound of yet another sugar cube dropping into a cup of already supersaturated liquid would cause Light to visibly twitch. Light was having more trouble repressing his impatience at the slow, shuffling movements of L's lanky body or his annyoance with L's fluctuating percentages and captious analysis of Light's actions for traces of "Kira-like behavior" made the younger boy positively quiver with rage.

The worst part, though, was the constant background noise of L ceaselessly working his computer with thise long, tapering fingers. The sound of typing never ceased, not even when Light was attempting, in vain, to sleep. The noise was driving him insane; it invaded his dreams, filling them with white fleshy spiders with empty black eyes, dancing garishly across an endless field of keys.

The pressure between the two had been building for a long time, and Light had finally had enough. He needed OUT.

It was afternoon, and the rest of the investigation team had departed, seizing a rare opportunity to visit their families while the Kira-related deaths had come to a halt. They left Light and L sitting alone under the pale illumination of the computer monitors. L was working as diligently as ever, hunched precariously over a piece of strawberry cheesecake and a cup of tea so heavily sugared it could almost be classified as a solid. Light closed the last document of case-related information that he had finished reading, sighing in relief and stretching his limbs out from the position they had been holding for the majority of the afternoon. Once he was done working the kinks from his back and assorted joints, he glanced over at the detective, a scowl contorting his comely features.

"Ryuuzaki, can we take a break for dinner now? It will hamper our performance if we aren't well fed." He said in an even, casual, dangerous tone.

"Ah, but I am not hungry, Raito-kun. I have made it a habit to snack constantly all day so as to have a constant supply of energy. It is the best way to stay fortified while still working, since the upkeep of the investigation is of the utmost importance. Any moment we waste is one in which we may have found a clue as to the whereabouts of Kira."

"Well, I'm sure even Kira needs to eat, Ryuuzaki, and I'm afraid that I do not share your habits when it comes to food. Come on, let's just go outside and get dinner; we have enough time that we can eat and return before the others. I know we could both use the exercise."

"No, Raito-kun, we must stay here and continue the case. It is hindering enough to progress that everyone else has left. We can always have Watari order us some food from one of the local restaurants."

"Ryuuzaki, when was the last time you were outside? Why not take a break and walk to one of those restaurants instead of just having their food brought here? It doesn't need to take long—"

"-RAAAAIIITOOOO!" Light's sentence was cut off abruptly as a small bundle of blond hair, gothic crosses and frilly black lace imbedded itself into his ribcage, effectively knocking all the air out of his lungs as she enveloped him in a smothering embrace.

"I haven't seen you in so long! Misa has been so lonely without her Raito," she cried mournfully, pinching her well-glossed lips into a sad pout and burying her head even further into the boy's chest. Light, meanwhile, was trying to pull air into his bruised and battered lungs, with only minimal success.

"We haven't gone on a date in such a long time! I've been so busy and I just couldn't get away from my work. But now I can! Isn't that great? Misa is so happy she could cry…"

After rambling on for several minutes about her undying love for Light and the happiness she felt upon seeing him again, L politely interrupted her to bring to her attention the fact that, if Misa did not let go of Light soon, her one true and undying love was going to asphyxiate. She blushed in embarrassment, letting out a small "oops" and finally let Raito recover from the intensity of her embrace; she clung, instead, to his arm, snuggling it and giggling happily. When Light had gathered enough oxygen into his lungs, he smiled down at her.

"Well, how about we go on a date right now, Misa? I was just thinking that it would be nice to get outside and go to a restaurant to eat for once."

Misa's eyes lit up, and her mouth turned up into an ecstatic grin.

"Oh, Misa is so happy! My Raito has invited me on a date! He's so romantic and thoughtful to do that for Misa!" Her head snapped around to L, and her gaze narrowed, "it would be even more romantic if that voyeur didn't have to come along."

"Misa-san, Raito-kun is my main suspect for the Kira case, and must constantly be under my supervision in case he does anything suspicious. I cannot let him go out on his own. As for the date… I suppose that that we could go out, just this once."

Misa squealed happily, clinging even tighter to Light's arm. Light shot a withering glare in L's direction (he wanted to go out, but not like this, not with her), his anger only simmering hotter at L's poker face, which was most definitely concealing a smirk. Though Light wasn't too pleased about the circumstances, he couldn't help the little smile that crept into his eyes. He was finally going to get to step outside this horrible, mentally stifling building! His small inward grin continued even throug the time it took him to drag the reluctant detective out of his chair and into their shared room, then to convince him to unlock the cuffs long enough for Light to change. The outift he chose to wear had been lying at the back of his closet, ironed and folded neatly, for the last few months; untouched with the lack of an appropriate situation in which to wear them. Once he was dressed, he brushed and styled his hair to perfection. L made a few witty remarks pertaining to the extent of Light's vanity, but Light ignored them all.

Misa was, of course, absolutely delighted to see her boyfriend so well-groomed and dressed up, and seemed content to completely ignore L's presence as they made their way to the elevator, riding it downwards before exiting the building.

Light felt a surge of comfort rush into him as he walked out of the doors and took in a long, luxurious gulp of fresh air. It was late evening and the sun was already setting low on the horizon, but Light was glad to just be able to look up at the sky, rather than gazing at it through a bulletproof window. In this state of pleasant relief, he was almost able to forget the hyperactive blond attached to one arm, and the cold steel shackle attached to the other.

For the most part, everyone in the little party of three was enjoying themselves, except for L, who was sulking a bit about having to wear shoes. He would have much preferred to wear sandals, which would at least have given his toes the freedom to wiggle about, but the weather was too cool for him to do so. However, he had a pocket full of lollipops and assorted hard candy to appease him, and by indulging in the sweets he soon adapted to his discomfort.

The three walked about in the city for about an hour before finding and agreeing on a small restaurant that all three of them agreed on. For Light and Misa, it had an excellent selection of food and a warm, comfortable atmosphere, and for L it had an enormous selection of desserts and pastries to choose from.

The trio all sat down in one of the small western-style cushioned booths set in a line along the side of the restaurant. L took up his usual crouch on one side of the booth, with Misa directly across from him, leaving to Light stuck between the two facing the aisle.

Not long after their arrival, a young, fairly pretty waitress dressed in a simple black-and-white uniform hurried up and began to hand out menus. As her eyes glanced about the table of three, her gaze met with Light's and a fierce blush bloomed across her face. The woman ducked her head to hide it, but Misa had noticed her reaction, and immediately moved to squash any hopes the other girl might have of stealing her boyfriend. Leaning casually over to Light, she turned ever so slightly to stretch her arms up around his neck and coyly plant a small kiss on his cheek. Light made no move to either encourage or dissuade her, so Misa took this as permission to further wrap her arms around him and snuggle her head into the crook of his neck. In a soft purr, just loud enough to be heard by the waitress, Misa whispere to Light.

"Oh Raito, I'm so glad that you suggested this date. That's so thoughtful of you! It reminds me of the time we first met, the first time we kissed…" Misa left the end of the statement to hang in the air, smiling triumphantly into Light's hair. In the language of possessive females, that silence spoke volumes, though it was most easily summed up as: This hottie is mine!

The waitress, suddenly remembering her duties, asked the three if they would like to order beverages. Light and L each ordered a coffee, and Misa an iced tea. The waitress left, and with her departure a silent, slightly tense atmosphere fell over the small booth. None of the three made any move to make small talk, or even to make eye contact with one another. L sat on the edge of his seat, digging candies out of his pockets and methodically unwrapping them, devouring them, and piling up the wrappers in color-coded stacks. Misa still clung onto Light's arm, scowling heavily in the direction that the waitress had left, while Light, completely ignoring the model hanging koala-like off his arm, let his eyes wander and survey the room.

The restaurant was sparsely populated and fairly quiet, the only noises being quiet snippets of the conversations of other diners and staff and the obnoxious crinkling sounds made by L's candies as he unwrapped them one after the other. The almost-silence hung as fragile and expectant as a soap bubble air, waiting for even the slightest disturbance before it popped. This atmosphere lasted until L, having run out of candies to devour, reached over into the small plastic condiment container in the center of the table, grabbed a large handful of sugar packets, and began to empty them straight into his mouth, one after the other.

Light snapped.

"Ryuuzaki, how can you DO that?" L emptied another packet into his mouth.

"Do what, Raito-kun?" Light could hear L's teeth crunching the hard crystals in his teeth.

"Eat raw sugar. It's just disgusting!!"

"I have told you this before, I need it to work at my full mental capacity."

"It's just sickening to watch you just eat it like that."

"I did not ask Yagami-kun to watch me eat. If you like, you can always watch Misa instead. I'm quite sure she'd appreciate the attention."

Misa joined the conversation.

"That's right Raito, pay attention to Misa-Misa and ignore that weirdo. Misa is much more fun to talk to than that pervert, right? And this is Raito's special date-time with Misa anyways, not Ryuuzaki."

Light just barely concealed his scowl at this, though he did let loose a withering glare at the sweet-toothed detective. He could see the smirk concealed in the older man's black eyes, no matter how blank they appeared on the surface. Goddamnit, Ryuuzaki knew how uncomfortable Light was with Misa's clinginess.

Thankfully, before the tense atmosphere could evolve into a fully-fledged arguement the waitress returned with their drinks, then asked them if they would like to place their orders. Light and Misa both ordered western-style entrees, while L ordered three slices of pie, two pieces of cake and a hot-fudge sundae. Light grimaced at the prospect of eating his dinner while surrounded by so many sweets.

The pretty waitress bobbed her head in acknowledgement, collected their menus up and left again, though not before giving Light one last lingering glance, her gaze full of longing. Then she was gone. As soon as the waitress could no longer be seen, Misa began to rant, fuming with rage.

"…Did you see how she looked at you, Raito? Really! Who does she think she is, looking at Misa's boyfriend like that?! The nerve! Why if I could only get my hands on her…." After this point, Light tuned Misa out and just sat there, wearing a face of polite empathy but internally bored and impatient. He was used to getting sidelong glances whenever he went out anywhere, and from members of both sexes (though the females were usually much more obvious about it). It wasn't anything new, and neither was Misa's violently posessive nature. He would have liked to reject her advances, but he knew a tragic and dejected Misa would be even more trouble than a bubbly, beatific one. Sometimes, he wondered why he had even agreed to their relationsjip in the first place.

Light was relieved when Misa finally ended her speech in order to excuse herself to use the restroom facilities. She kissed Light quickly on the cheek, then bounced down the hallway and out of sight. The table fell silent in her absence.

"Raito-kun did not seem to be paying attention to Misa while she was speaking. That's very rude, especially since she is your girlfriend."

Light glowered at Ryuuzaki, who took a cautious sip of the hot coffee that was now a sugary, syrupy sludge.

"You know that there's nothing worth paying attention to, Ryuuzaki. I only ever put up with her because I don't want to hurt her. I know she's infatuated with me, but I can't help it if I don't feel the same way."

"Is it better to deceive her into thinking that you return her affections?"

"It's not like I really want to be her boyfriend, she just asked me and I agreed. I don't know, something just… came over me. My memory is a little vague on the subject..." He trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he worked through the bits and pieces of the encounter that he remembered. Why was his memory of that period of time so fragmented? The more Light thought about it, the more his head began to hurt, so he stopped. L only watched him, head cocked a bit to the side.

"Has Raito-kun never been in love? I would think that, especially during the adolescent years, a young man like yourself would be prone to such feelings."

Light shook his head, "no. I've never felt that way about anyone. Women are generally too clingy and emotional for my taste. Not one of them can hold an intelligent conversation."

"Oh my, is Raito-kun being sexist?"

"It's not sexism, Ryuuzaki, it is just a general observation based on my experiences with women. If I find evidence that there is a woman out there who is smart, capable and rational, then I will acknowledge it. Otherwise, I just do not comprehend the female mind."

"My statement still stands."

"Goddamn you, Ryuuzaki!" Light whispered through clenched teeth, his hand clenching and unclenching around his coffee cup as if imiganing that he was squeezing the pale neck of the man sitting across from him instead.

Thankfully, at that moment the two men were interrupted in their conversation. The waitress, arms laden with trays of plates bearing food and a copious amount of pastries, had arrived. She set each dish down, eyes afixed on the table as if afraid to look up, before she turned abruptly and scurried away, furiously blushing if her redenned ears were anything to go by.

Misa arrived only a few moments after the waitress had ducked behind the corner, looking quite refreshed and re-energeized. It was evident that she had applied new coats of lip gloss and eye shadow in her absence, and her hair was freshly brushed and shining. She skipped merrily over to the table, squealing happily upon noticing that the food had arrived, taking a deep whiff of the delicious aroma. She promptly sat down next to Light, and after a round of thanks, they all tucked in. The food was delicious, cooked in a very western --perhaps European-- style, but was visually appealing in the way only the Japanese could accomplish. Despite its foreign origin, it was very well received on the tongue.

The food tasted especially delicious to Light, more than any of them, since this was the first meal that he had eaten in over four months that wasn't take-out or pizza. Not only that, but he actually had the time to eat it slowly and enjoy the flavors rolling across his tongue. During the peak of their investigation work, Light had been given very little time to spare for meals, to be left wolfing down cold toast, sandwiches or leftover pizza while sitting at the computers. His meals were eaten with such haste and inattention that he might as well have been eating ash. Now, Light took full advantage of this opportunity and ate nonchalantly, especially savoring the small green salad that came with his entrée. It had been so long since he had eaten fresh vegetables... Though the other two inhabitants of the table were consuming food that was only of slightly better quality compared to what they normally ate, they seemed to be enjoying the experience as well. The silence that hung over the small booth was now a comfortable one.

After they finished eating, the waitress came to leave the bill on the table, bowing once to them before retreating hastily. The three looked down at the bill, each wondering who was going to pay. L spoke up first.

"Raito-kun, isn't it tradition for a boyfriend to pick up the tab for a date? I believe you should pay."

"This is hardly a traditional date, Ryuuzaki." Light countered, eyes narrowing. "Most boyfriends don't also have to pay for the expensive cakes that are ordered by other men forcefully handcuffed to them. Besides, Ryuuzaki, I have very little money; you're a millionaire. If you can afford to build an entire office-apartment complex for your own convenience, you can certainly pick up the tab for one meal."

"Raito-kun is wrong on one account." Light raised his eyebrow.

"How so?"

"I am not a millionaire."

"...What? Then how--"

"--I'm a billionaire."

Light twitched visibly. "All the more reason for it, then."

"Raito-kun is so mean to make others pay for his dates." L put on a sulky face, but reached into his pocket anyways, brought out a small, plain brown leather wallet and withdrew the necessary sum from a small wad of bills.

"If Misa knew Ryuuzaki was going to pay, Misa would have ordered some cake too," The model said wistfully.

After paying for their meals, the three left the restaurant and set out into the night, heading back. It was dark by now, the sky a deep velvety blue penetrated only by the light from windows and street lamps. The air was a bit chilly now, but not enough to really effect them, even L who was dressed rather lightly. The slight cold only gave Misa an excuse to cuddle even closer to Light. He let her snuggle in, but otherwise ignored her. They all walked on in a companionable silence as the dusk fell slowly about them.

Sudennly, something small glittered brightly against the dark pavement of the sidewalk.

"Wait a minute, Raito, I think I saw something." Misa broke away from Light for a moment to bend down and pick up the glittering object; or rather, objects. Three identical rings, gleaming bone-white in the darkness, were strung along a loop of twine. Engraved into the side of each was the kanji for 'friend'. Misa squealed excitedly as she examined them, then turned to dispaly them to the others.

"Look what Misa has found, Raito! Misa is so lucky! These are just the thing to commemorate such a perfect date!" she squealed. Light had to fight the urge to roll his eyes; If this evening could be called a date, then Misa must have incredibly low standards. L simply looked on, eyes as dark and vacant as ever.

Light wondered how Misa knew the word 'commemorate'.

Misa, completely absorbed in her new finds, continiued to prattle. "See, there are three rings: one for each of us, since we're all friends! ...Well, technically Raito is my boyfriend, but he's my friend too so it's alright!" Misa paused for amoment before speaking again, pursing her lipsticked lips in a small pout and wrinkling her nose up as if she had just smelled something nasty. "Even though I don't like Ryuuzaki very much," Misa shot a glare at the apathetic detective as if to say that dislike was the least of what she felt towards him, " I guess he did pay for the meal, and he's not really so bad.... so he get's a ring too. " Having made her decision, Misa promptly untied the string and handed a ring each to Light and L, keeping the last for herself. Misa slipped hers on eagerly, with the two men grudgingly following suit.

What would it hurt, wearing a silly ring?

"Now these rings are proof that we really are friends for ever and ever! All three of us must wear them all the time, so that our friendship never fades." Satisfies with this, Misa fanned her fingers out to gaze admiringly at her ring. As she did so, she noticed something odd.

"Oh my gosh! Look, look, mine is changing color! And yours too... I wonder if they're like mood rings? This is really cool!" Misa was practically bouncing up and down in excitement, sending her multitude of glittery gothic necklaces bobbing every which-way around her shoulders.

Sure enough, each of the rings was slowly transitioning from their original white into a variety of colors. Misa's ring was now a striking magenta that shone scarlet when the light touched it, though the kanji for 'friend' had turned pitch black. In contrast, Light's band had begun to lose its color until it had become almost entirely translucent; its tiny symbol gleamed as if written in fresh blood. Finally, L's ring had brightened into a burnished metallic gold, where the inscribed character shone like an inset sapphire of deep and bottomless blue.(1)

While Misa exclaimed loudly of her astonishment and pleasure at such a lucky find, L and Light examined the rings quizzically. However, aside from cocking an eyebrow at the phenomenon, they did not look into the matter any further.

"I suggest we make our way back to the headquarters now. It is getting late, and there is a seventy-eight percent chance that we will arrive back before the rest of the team if we walk quickly," reminded L.

"Ryuuzaki is right, we must get back." Light agreed, voice thick and weary. Spending an evening in the company of both Misa and L was quite tiring.

Then the trio made their way safely back to the investigation headquarters, completely ignorant of what the morning had in store. That night, every single one of them slept soundly.

(1)The colors for the rings are inspired by Takeshi Obata's assigned character-colors for Death Note. Transulence for Light, pink for Misa and gold for L . I thought it'd be cool to stick to those color schemes as a bit of a tribute to the artist for DN. Otherwise, the secondary colors (for the kanji) are based on the the anime's character-colors, where Light and L are red and blue respectively, while Misa is pink (a weaker shade of red).

Phew! A good ten pages of story, and that's just the first chapter! I'm sorry if the dialogue is terrible; I admit that it isn't my forte.

I'm sorry if this beginning chapter is rather uneventful. The next few chapters will contain much more action/confusion.