AN: Welcome to Shadows! A new LxRaito Death Note fanfiction that I've started and hope to continue with the support of others. If you do read this, please do not just favourite - though that is greatly appreciated - review too! I had to explain quite a lot of things in here about how Death Note opened - because this is kind of for my mother, because she wanted to read one of my.. stories. So I said I would write her one she could print off.. Ayyeee.
The thing about the Clouds at the beginning will be essential in later chapters. :D If you see any mistakes; don't hesitate to tell me and I shall fix them as soon as I can.
Anyway.. On with Chapter One.
S h a d o w s
"Let us embrace, and from this very moment
vow an eternal misery together."
- THOMAS OTWAY.
The Orphan.
When you look up at the sky you don't focus on the things you originally planned to focus on. Your mind wonders into questions that you've been asking yourself for a while; questions that can't really be answered. Obvious, yet unobvious questions such as, Why is the sky blue? Why do clouds turn purple when they are lower down? Why are colours even in the sky, or the Earth?
But it always starts with one thing; Why.
Even though you know the clouds in the sky are moving, you begin to doubt that for some time they aren't. They seem to flicker slightly, accusing your eyes of miscalculating, and you have to frown, raise your finger and wait until one of the clouds passes your finger and then you know your eyes aren't betraying you.
Why do we doubt the things we know? Is it just because we want changes to happen; or more things to be held to ourselves. One question, can never be answered. You will ask, but you will never receive; and when you do it's not the answer you were looking for. So you give up.
Some clouds shape in scary faces, some in delicate animals and in shapes that are so familiar you can't put your finger on it. But you watch them as they move; they change as they do so. Some part, and some fix together. Some stay together as they float on by, and a small smile will cross your face at the fluffy texture you so desperately want to reach out and touch.
Covering the blue sky are clouds that are created in ways only scientists assume they know. But, some humans believe they are made out of what humans do. Humans create the clouds; and the clouds confuse the humans.
Why?
x x x x x - - - - - - - - - - -
He was always silent.
There was no secret about him that made itself obviously known; he was just too quiet to pay attention to anybody but his work.
There was nothing nobody could do to get a word out of him. As he lay there, cold and alone they stared at him with oddly wide eyes. For most of his career, he had been open and explosive with solutions and suspects; giving needed and correct evidence for the cases he had so easily worked on. But, for now he was silent.
Ever since their boss, whom they called Ryuzaki, stated that he would be leaving for a couple of months; the youngest detective's voice box had died, along with the happiness that he had created with the duo.
Raito Yagami. Ex-college student. Detective. Teenager. He was as any other normal teenage boy would be. He had looks, charms and he had what some did not. Utmost important intelligence.
Unlike the usual teenage 'jocks', Raito Yagami's ego and self-esteem was based on his intelligence; and that alone. He was seen on the outside, and never on the inside. That was, until he had found something that he was sure would change his life forever.
The Death Note.
An ordinary, black death note with the un-neat words of: DEATH NOTE, sprawled across the black, leather felt cover. The pages to begin with were black and surrounded with rule, after rule, after rule. Then blank pages followed with a small, silk book mark. Raito had found the book on his way out of school and had picked it up.
Not the slightest bit fazed by the cover, he took it home. Opting to give it back to it's owner when the time came the next morning. That was, until he read the rules which lay inside. Of course, when he read the rules he merely turned his nose up at them with a sarcastic snort.
Of course, he had tested it out. Who wouldn't of? It drew him back with persuasion and anxiousness to see if the whole thing was just.. a fake. Why would he have obtained something so stupid for no purpose? Everything he did had a purpose, and was always thought through carefully; as was this.
He decided to test it by killing a man he had read about in the newspaper. He had written the name, staring at the picture and waited.. He scoffed as the news showed no sign of the man's death and slumped down onto his bed, throwing the Death Note carelessly on his desk.
But then it had happened, the news bulletin offering the truth that the Death Note had in fact worked, and Raito had killed a guilty and unjustified man. He.. had, destroyed someone. Killed someone.
No guilt went through him that day.
But then L was welcomed into his life. The man who was so keen on destroying Kira, that Raito believe he had to destroy L first. L went by many alias', Ryuzaki, Ryuga, or sometimes just L. Though of course, he was just L. Always L.
The smartest detective in the world. Shockingly.
But of course he was. Who else would of wanted to rid of the man creating justice into the selfish world that Kira had created? But of course, the selfishness was one that L wanted to create himself. With real use of justice.
His first suspect:
Raito Yagami. Of course it was.
Raito, though, as many smart suspects would - he being the only one - had denied all of the charges dropped onto him. Had accepted all of L's challenges to prove his innocence. Most of it was successful, until he offered to place himself in prison for a few weeks.
And with more than 14 days away from the Death Note; he would forget he was ever Kira, forget who he had killed, and who his God of Death was. He would forget everything he had done, and remember only the people and the cases he was fighting.
He never remembered after that. L made sure of it.
x x x x x - - - - - - - - - - -
"Raito-niisan, you have to wake up soon.." Sayu Yagami whispered, holding back the urge to run her fingers across her brother's pale face. She smiled softly at him, ignoring the countless beepings that echoed through the room.
Her eyes descended over her father's fallen figure, yet he stood proud and tall in the corner of the room, refusing to come and face the real world; being locked in his own private daydream, where Raito was probably awake.
"He should wake up soon," Sachiko Yagami confirmed bravely.
Sayu glanced over at her mother, a small sad smile on her face as she whispered softly, "You have great faith in Raito-niisan, Mum." Sachiko glanced over to her with gentle eyes, the smallest hint of hidden sadness in them.
Sayu avoided her mother's eyes and looked back down to her brother, brushing her fingers - finally - over the cold cheek, where black eyelashes rest.
Sachiko remained silent as she glanced helplessly at her husband, noticing his eyes were closed and his hands were clutched tightly to his folded arms. She pitied him and walked over to him, embracing him with her love. He sunk into her touch and shivered.
"Raito will wake soon, Dear." She whispered reassuringly, rubbing her husband's back as she rocked him delicately, "All in good time. He is just.. resting, for a while. Just resting, I assure you my darling."
x x x x x - - - - - - - - - - -
L stared down at the papers in his fingers, a raised eyebrow as he glanced blankly at Mello. Mello grinned slightly and bit off a chunk of his chocolate, gnawing selflessly onto it as he stood beside his partner and nemesis.
"Mello-kun, Near-kun, Matt-kun.. I appreciate the good deeds you are all doing for me, but it is not necessary. I assure you, I am quite fine." L said softly, placing the papers beside his tea and picking up a stick of pocky, placing it to his lips. "In fact, I am just coming down with the bug. I should return home to Japan soon, I am sure.. it is just home sickness."
Mello huffed selfishly, "You never had home sickness when you left England, L." He moaned.
"England gave me great home sickness Mello, because I had left various people I cared about behind; and I felt quite bad about that. But I knew all of you could care for yourselves. In addition, I do come back to visit you all as promised, including the Wammy house." L sighed softly and bit down on the pocky, chewing it slowly and swallowing it, "But there is somebody in Japan that I have left; who may not be capable of taking care of himself."
"Then why leave him behind, L?" Near asked softly, twirling his hair lifelessly around his finger as he stared at his mentor with genius eyes, blank and empty. Just like L's.
Mello and Matt exchanged a glance before turning back to their, too, mentor and grabbing the two chairs by the table and propping themselves down on them, ready to listen to another of L's famous stories.
About the man who saved his life.
"He has family back in Japan, I could not ask him to leave his family for a long time; of course his mother is quite the person to worry about him and bother him every second of the day - as she does at the headquaters. But, Raito-kun is specifically incapable of taking care of himself because he is the one person who will do the wrong thing, when he assumes right."
Mello scoffed, "Quite the genius you grabbed there, L." Matt nudged him in warning; a glare was Matt's response. L only nodded and finished his pocky stick before reaching for a new one of different flavour.
"I cannot help but worry, Mello. Raito-kun is in fact very smart. Smartest in his college as some would assume. He has a very high IQ." L stated.
Mello frowned, "Yeah? So do we."
Near sighed softly and faced Mello with a bored expression, yet one that also showed Mello's cocky remarks were becoming quite.. aggravating. "Must you question everything L says Mello? Can you not for once think that this is not about you?"
"You little-"
"That is quite enough boys, thank you." L piped up before the two could continue into their old habits and knock each other onto the floor. Near frowned childishly and turned back to L, fingers in his hair.
"I respect your remarks Mello, they are much appreciated but you must understand Raito is extremely weak at this precise moment."
"How so?" Matt asked, placing his game on mute and allowing himself to listen to the conversation. L glanced at him.
"He has been going through a lot of things; and quite recently has been dropped from being my main Kira suspect. Of course, he does not know that; because he does not remember he was Kira to begin with," L raised his hand before Mello could burst with curses and deteste for the man. "However. Raito-kun and I have become very close due to this; he has become a very close friend and.."
"And something personal.." Matt finished, a small grin itched over his lips. "L, you know you don't need to visit us all the time. You have to have time for yourself, you're the world's best detective, when we see you, when we talk to you we treasure it."
L smiled slightly, "Thank you Matt-kun. That was very kind of you."
Mello snorted slightly, earning another jab in the ribs from the redhead, "Quit jabbing me you stupid fu-" Mello stopped himself and huffed childishly as L glanced at him in warning. He sank back in his chair and folded his arms over his rosary. L smiled and nodded thankfully toward him.
"It seems then, that my welcome here has been over used. I shall see you all on my next visit. I shall be in contact as soon as I can be. Goodbye, boys."
x x x x x - - - - - - - - - - -
Soichiro glanced at his phone, the blue highlighted space hanging over the man's name with great hesitation. Slowly, his fingers clicked down onto the OK button and he brought the phone up to his ear; took a deep breath and got ready to tell the bad to news to the other.
"Hello?" A gentle voice asked.
Soichiro gasped, "Chief Yagami here, L."
"What's happened, Yagami-san?"
Soichiro wasn't fazed by the knowledge L held that something had happened, of course, he wouldn't of rang if something hadn't of happened. He wouldn't of rang if nothing had happened to Raito. But if it had, he had promised L that he would be on the phone as soon as he could.
"Raito has gone into a coma."
There was no reply, as the phone cut dead.
AN 2: If you do not understand the plot don't worry! It'll all be explained soon enough.. Review please :)