A/N: Well, I did something I don't ever do. I started writing fanfiction of a series before I finished the series. ; I like to finish a series, get the best grasp of every character that I can manage, and THEN proceed to write about them. I took a gamble this time. I wanted to write about Light and L so badly, so here's my first attempt. I'd love to get some good, critical feedback if anyone has time.
One other quick word… I read an online translation of Deathnote, so if titles sound different, or if people start talking in the third person when being polite, that's why. I was keeping as close to that particular translation as possible. On with the story!
Yagami Light twitched involuntarily as L dangled a spoonful of ice cream before his lips, gripping the tip of the modest silverware with two delicate fingers. Why couldn't he eat deserts like a normal person?
L must have felt eyes on him, for he halted his spoon in midair and glanced over his shoulder. Light shuddered, stricken by the intense stare aimed in his direction. L was unrelenting in his steady gaze, and Light suddenly felt the need to speak to draw attention away from the detective's intense scrutinizing.
"Aizawa and Matsuda should be reporting in soon," he ventured, hating the hunched figure in front of him all the more as L inserted the spoon awkwardly into his mouth.
"Yes," L agreed once he'd swallowed, absently scratching one foot with the other. He rested his hands atop his knees and squinted at the surveillance screen. "I expect they'll have found something concerning Kira's murders within the last week."
Light moved forward to join him at the wide, flat monitor. "You're sure now that the deaths of those FBI agents are directly related?"
"You presented the evidence yourself, Yagami-kun."
Light watched the strange detective from the corner of his eye, not bothering to look when Matsuda and Aizawa entered the view of the cameras with his father in tow. The three made their way solemnly to the elevator, but Yagami Light couldn't force his gaze away from the profile of his enemy. That air of confidence, the collected manner in which L dealt with any scenario… it was all too similar to his own methods of operation.
The sandy-haired boy concealed a sinister grin. He — no, Kira — would always be one step ahead, whatever the situation. He had the note, after all. Light checked behind him unconsciously. Ryuk was lounging in one corner, watching them with a mask of amusement on his monstrous face.
"They look serious, don't they?" L observed as the three other members of the Kira Investigation boarded the elevator. The steel doors slid closed. "I wonder if it's because—"
"There is a connection between Kira and the FBI murders," Light finished.
Ryuk chuckled from his spot across the room. "Light and L are more alike every day, aren't they?" Light's face showed not the faintest glimmer of recognition for the snide remark. The creature laughed harder.
"It seems we're more and more alike lately, Yagami-kun."
Light merely blinked as L voiced the same thoughts as Ryuk. Through his screen of careful vigilance, he realized how close he'd been standing to the ragged detective. In an attempt to keep from lashing out at his hated enemy, he took a single step back before responding.
"It's only natural that we think the same things, Ryuuzaki," he said coolly, "Your skills as a detective are so flawless that one can't help but be forced to think like you to attain any amount of success."
L's eyes widened in surprise, deep pools of black. "Light-kun is flattering me."
Ryuk let out a loud chortle, but Light's expression did not falter. "Well then, perhaps great minds really do think alike."
L pivoted in his chair, revolving about to face his adversary with a keen look. "Or perhaps," he suggested slyly, "Yagami-kun really is Kira and is hoping to draw me off my guard."
A spark threatened to harden Light's eyes, but he controlled himself and remained nonchalant. "I thought you told me you no longer suspected me of being Kira," he drawled, arms folded tightly across his chest. "It's almost an insult, Ryuuzaki."
"My apologies," the detective said, dropping an extra sugar cube into his latest cup of tea. "But Light-kun is so cunning that I'm sure he could manage to play Kira and the brilliant Chief's son at once."
"Now who's flattering whom?"
A rare grin lit up L's plain features. "It would seem sometimes I can't resist testing you, Light-kun." If he thought the statement was the least bit odd, he didn't show it. Light let the peculiar remark pass.
"Where are they?" He mumbled impatiently, scanning the monitors for signs of the rest of the team. Suddenly the room felt stuffy; he needed to escape the oppressive presence of his nemesis before he drove himself mad. If only Kira had the means to kill him, right here and now…
"What are you thinking about, Yagami-kun?" The inquiry cut through his thoughts, and Light struggled to arrange the exterior of his face into a calm, collected mask.
"Nothing at all, Ryuuzaki," he replied, wishing for an alternate way to vent his frustration.
"Light," Ryuk whined from the corner, "When are we getting out of here? This guy is annoying me, the way he taps his fingers like that. Hurry up and figure out how to kill him."
Light jerked his head up in surprise, fixing his sight on the seated L, who was indeed drumming his narrow fingers on the edge of his chair. His dark eyes had nearly lost their focus, and he stared into thin air, vexed.
"Ryuuzaki?"
L blinked. "I'm sorry, Light-kun, but you happen to be the cause of a lot of my worries, lately," he admitted, rising from his position and stretching casually.
Yagami Light was wary. "How so?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"It's just that, if Light-kun is Kira, then it will be rather hard to put an end to Kira, I think. We are friends after all, Light-kun, aren't we?"
The owner of the Death Note didn't know whether to feel disgusted or amused. "Of course," he answered immediately. "But you don't have to worry about that. I've already told you I'm not Kira."
L shuffled forward, pausing as he brushed past Light and speaking in a muted tone. "But you know as well as I do that a claim alone doesn't mean a thing, no matter what the other investigators think."
Light let out an aggravated breath. "But you already questioned me yourself, Ryuuzaki."
"You can't escape pure intuition, I'm afraid, Light-kun. And at the moment I'm seventy three percent sure that you're Kira." He made as if to move away, toward the elevator to meet the rest, but Light's hand shot out and he caught the ragged detective by his upper arm.
Ryuk ceased his bored humming, watching attentively with bated breath. L halted with a slow, lazy motion, his shadowy eyes finding the spot where Light gripped him. He waited a moment, taking note of the dark look on Light's face.
"Light-kun, you're holding onto me," he said after a short time had elapsed.
Light's grip tightened momentarily, his silence seeming to make the slight ruffle of his collared shirt all the more audible as he drew the hunched detective closer. "It's because I want you to," he stated in a low whisper.
"You want me to?" L echoed, clearly baffled. "You want me to what, Light-kun?"
Yagami Light smirked in a manner he usually tried to conceal while in his adversary's presence. "I want you to suspect me," he clarified, eyes alight with excitement. "I want you to keep thinking I'm Kira. Even though I'm not, I want you to believe it." Then it will be all the more satisfying once you're dead.
L met his hungry, fevered stare with an even calm. "Do you like the thrill, Yagami-kun?" he asked. Light could tell the walls were back up, the barriers reinforced, the mask of a top-notch detective once again in place. "Does my suspecting you drive you to greater lengths? Do you enjoy it that much?"
"It merely inspires me, Ryuuzaki," he responded, searching to quell the quickened beat of his heart. "It pushes me to prove to you that I'm not Kira, but rather, the one who is going to catch him. Your suspicion makes me more determined."
"More determined to kill L," Ryuk chortled, and Light ignored the retort.
L was silent for a long time. "I see," he exclaimed, after pondering the passionate response he'd received. "Well then, Yagami-kun, would you mind letting go of me now?"
Light snapped at once to his senses. His grip relaxed, and L pulled away as the elevator doors slid open and the room filled with the three other members of the team.
"Yagami-san, Aizawa-san, Matsuda-san," L greeted as they trekked dejectedly forward. "How did your research go?"
Light watched, distracted by L's cool exterior immediately following their strange encounter. He supposed he ought to compose himself as well.
"Not at all well, Ryuuzaki," his father answered. "It's just as you and Light said, the FBI agents all died within the window that you predicted, meaning that they can be tied into the Kira case."
"Yes," L murmured, scanning the paper he now had stretched at arm's length, lifting it minimally with two fingers. His gaze wandered to Light with a somewhat coy half-smile. "It's as I…" The grin grew. "Suspected." Light tried not to react.
Matsuda rubbed the back of his neck in a weary gesture. "Great. We have a lot of work cut out for us now."
The rest made their way to the surveillance monitors, while Light stood rooted to his spot, a combination of dread and hatred pouring through him. Ryuk chuckled from the back of the room.
"So what's next, Light?" the Reaper twittered, pleased by it all. "What will you do now?"
Humans were so interesting.
A/N: Well. That was basically a test run, so to anyone who read it, thanks a ton. My main focus was trying to get the characterization right. Please tell me if anything sounds off. I can't wait to write more in the future.
The only reason I didn't take the boy-love relationship to a higher level this time is because I still can't decide their roles. I can see either as seme, really, depending on the situation. Perhaps I'll have them switch off. x3 But really, what I decided to use as the main grounds of their relationship is what I tried to cover here... how Light sort of needs L to play a better Kira, how L's suspicion of him drives him. And of course, there's that fine line between love and hate that's so delicate between enemies like them. 3 Heh heh. Light probably has a lust for L somewhere, an urge to conquer him.
Man, I'm going to have so much fun with this. Even though I'm a newbie at something again, 'tis worth it.