Part I
sacrifice

His hands were never bloody with kill, but his eyes were windows to the culprit. Misa Amane had never expected Kira to be so unfitting of the profile she had preconceived of him. Kira would be older, certainly. Baring a scythe in his manageable hand, with a hood that painted cirrus smoke expanding the contrast of a grinning skull. But Light Yagami was much more attractive than that particular image. Thus spreading the icing on the pristine cake of love. Who would have imagined it!

"I want to make the exchange," Misa had told Rem, enlightened of her forgotten objectives and alternatives. "Misa's remaining life span for the eyes."

"Don't you realize what that means?" demanded the carefully void face of the serpentine Shinigami. Yet if Gods of death could carve expressions, could humans comprehend them? She was a frenzy of chaotic emotion.

"Of course!" Misa pouted. "Why else would I have told you to take away my remaining life span? I don't need it as much as Light does."

"Misa …"

"When Misa wins the notebook back from Higuchi, she will give Light the greatest gift of all." The blonde smiled, each contour of her face darkening cryptically from the fluorescent lighting that filtered through the Yotsuba headquarters washroom. "I will kill L."

Who was L? Misa had identified the face behind the justified mass murders of Kira, but who owned the gothic-printed letter that portrayed the world renowned detective?

She had interpreted L's appearance out of vague curiosity many times before. He would always wear a trench coat, she decided. Even when vacationing in Barbados with his wife and children. His own wife would not even know of his true identity, and due to his neglect, would commit adultery on a weekly basis. Since being under surveillance gave the model much time in seclusion with her thoughts, she had even constructed many dramatic tales of their confrontation.

And L either used his family to present what society expected of such a figure of prestige, or, God forbid, actually loved her. It depended on how perfect this detective actually was. He certainly seemed to like to act as though he was. Misa couldn't stand self-righteousness.

At least Kira was honest. At least Kira believed in something. Kira was her hero.

"Light! Misa is just calling to inform you that she adores you even more than she did yesterday! Isn't that exciting news?"

The gothic Lolita was lounging in her bed, indulging the probably lonely detectives in the sight of her lace undergarments. Thighs apart and legs left to dangle; lean abdomen stretched across the satin. Her top was a black halter; scalloped skirt more of a headband than justified for its role. A pink glitter/sticker/dangly beaded things-adorned cell phone, which beamed in its ability to speakerphone, was stationed between her elbows. A magazine was requiring the attention of both hands.

"You don't even have to use the phone, Misa-san … The surveillance picks you up quite accurately," said by hey-that's-not-Light's-voice!

"Sheesh! Some brilliant discovery there! I want to hear Light's response!" squealed the other end.

"Do you expect this to be an exception from the rest of the time?" L was aware he had more than likely crossed the final frontier of a woman's emotions, and extended his own cellular device away from the range of audibility. His toes gripped the edge of his seat as his crone-like body pushed forward, offering the phone to a stoic Light.

"… Thanks." Light reluctantly accepted the device, shackles clanking. "Yes?"

"Light! I know that's you!" Misa splayed her limbs over the bed's surface as if hugging the mattress.

"Stunning deduction," said a disheartened L, who had begun sucking the honey from his fingertips.

"Yeah. So? We're kind of busy."

"You're taking Misa to her shoot! Remember, Light? You promised!" This was the first mention of it.

Hazels reluctantly found the crippled-postured L. He was straining the wheels of his office chair by tilting it forward, clenching his knees and stretching the creases in his lips with the tip of his thumb. A true caricature of a pondering detective.

"Tell Misa that I will happily oblige."

"Noo!" Misa imitated the scream, jaws pried wildly, palms sitting on her cheeks. "Take those shackles off at least, Ryuzaki kun! How embarrassed poor Light will be!"

"These are the conditions. Be thankful you're allowed the freedom of a photoshoot." The chains clashed when L gave a firm shake of his captive arm, rendering Misa annoyed at the confirmation.

"Aren't we leaving?" sighed Light, whose mentality remained faithful to leave now, return sooner.

The blonde was hooked at the unrestrained arm of Light's, who kept his own characteristically sedentary. The frills and skull adorned model trotted to keep up with the long strides of her lover, while L seemed to mobilize by sliding his feet across the ground. This kept him lagged several paces behind the entwined lovers, much to Misa's approval.

Walking down the asphalt structure of the city, both the model and L, despite their distance, enjoyed the pulse of fresh spring life. Each shared a lifestyle of captivity, and neither by choice, but by direction. Misa willingly sacrificed her freedom for love, as L did similarly for justice. To be outside of those restricting walls was a rare treat for both of them.

"Let's do lunch first," insisted Misa, who instantly tugged at the train of both males. She manipulated Light's direction toward the cobblestone square entryway of a quaint port-side café. L resisted.

"Do we really have time for a detour before your shoot, Misa?"

"Uh-huh," the girl sang joyously, clasping both hands. "Misa made sure to leave an hour early!"

Light and L exchanged glances of mutual irony.

"You can't just make decisions like that," Light scolded a discretely attention-happy Amane. "Ryuzaki and I both have a lot of work to do concerning Yotsuba."

"Wah! At least give me a few hours out of the whole entire week. Misa is beginning to think Light likes Ryuzaki more than her!"

She coveted her precious Light in both arms, squeezing him between wherever he would fit. He shrugged uncomfortably, dodging away both eyes. L looked on as to not betray his eyes' inquisition. Sure, Misa was a handful, but it must have been nice …

"How about if I order our meals to go, and we can find a place to eat by the port?" she pleaded her case near Light's ear, but audible enough to register within the distance L stood.

"A sea breeze sounds nice," said a thoughtful L, sliding his thumb along the turbulence of his teeth. He returned both hands to his oversized pockets before striding toward a pleasing place at the dock. Both Misa and Light were surprised to find Ryuzaki so agreeable. "Anything off of the dessert menu would be fine."

"And I already know what Light wants," Misa stated proudly, nodding her head a first and second time for emphasis. "So please get comfortable and Misa will return shortly with your orders."

Separating from the chained duo, she entered the quaint café in a stride as not to be so averse to recognition. Unfortunately, the restaurant was occupied solely by retirees that morning, none of which kept up to date with the young idols of Japan. After her facial muscles flexed into a quick pout, the girl stationed herself at the counter to order sandwiches, coffee and sweets.

"Aren't gentlemen supposed to carry heavy things for fragile young ladies?" It was voiced aloud when she gathered the plastic bags of food items and coffee, strained beneath the demanding weight of it all. The cashier had offered to escort her out with the bags, but Misa had politely declined. "My boyfriend has quite a bit of a jealousy problem," she explained.

The quickest pass to the docks was through an alleyway of chiseled brick. The narrowness cast shadows that filtered out the glare of the sun, and a whispering breeze passed through the vacancy. The second Kira shivered, the bags ruffling.

"Hey beautiful." The voice was slow and deep, callous and dry in his throat. The sudden impact of their bodies - her backside to his front - was aggressed by the touch of his filthy hand to her mouth. Misa could feel the mugger's breath against the nape of her neck, causing her to erupt in a jolt. "Let's make this quick and painless, eh?"

Light ... Kira. Kira wouldn't save her now. Not even in the broad daylight, where the accuser so recklessly held the model captive. The flash of silver caught the glint of the sun as the attacker struck the blade in front of her face, emitting a sharp gasp from the girl. Her eyes reflected all light sources in waves as she fell beneath his mercy.

"Bold one, aren't you?"

Before the predator could react to the intrusion of the cryptic voice - aside from having reclused the offending hand enough so Misa would be spared the strike of a knife - the opposer's jaw was met with the heel of the young man's foot. " ... To attack in broad daylight." L waited until the collapsed male gathered himself again. "You don't know who could see."

"Heh. Like some little street punk?"

Misa was muting her shivers with Light's arms, who she had embraced after her release. Blue eyes were struck round while peering over the surface of her shoulder at Ryuzaki. Her initial question had revolved around Light and his involvement with this brutal confrontation ... Or lack thereof. But while she observed Ryuzaki, a new crop of thoughts began to bud in her brain.

"I wouldn't suggest that you stereotype by appearance alone," L had said, tired of how misconstrued the correlation of his own appearance with his role as world renowned detective seemed to be.

The creases of the man's lips were streamed with blood in which he spat at the detective's feet. He drew himself up suddenly, growling in strain as he tore at the air with a sharp slash of his weapon. L had arched back his spine to narrowly dodge the attack, the curb of his foot sitting against the predator's elbow. Black eyes were rounded from the shock of such a close encounter, but with his leverage on the elbow, he kicked the man off his footing and into the wall of brick.

"Ryuzaki!" Misa had concealed the lower portion of her face when L was threatened with the blunt of the blade. She turned and buried her face in Light's shoulder. "We need to help him!"

But L's directions had been specific. Guard Amane and call the task force if given the signal. They were the quickest link to police L had access to as of now.

The criminal struck the air with the piercing silver, all too near L's current position. Misa, thinking quickly, grabbed the chain that linked both males and assisted Ryuzaki from the blow with a mighty pull. With an awkward tumble, Ryuzaki was just barely spared.

"Stay put, Misa." In regard to such a close blow, Light chose to defy L's orders and provide him aid in the battle. He was resenting this force he harnessed inside himself that found L's potential defeat favorable …

"No – Light! Oh, no, don't - !"

"Stay there!" He would have asked her to make a run for it, but if this man broke away, Misa would merely present a simpler target. At least she was protected this way.

Light's deduction was incorrect.

"Alright, I've played nice …" Having caught both males off guard by scouring his pocket to behold, within an instant, a new and more precise weapon, Misa stood stunned on the sidelines. "Guess it's time to play dirty."

It had been silent like the wreaking stream of death until that earth-shattering sound confirmed a gunshot.

The mad gleam in his eye was what inevitably struck her unable to move, to breathe. The very same expression of desperation, the barking, laughing and sobbing scream of rebellion had been mirrored in the eyes of her stalker. A true murderer could commit the act of abducting another's life without a trace of emotion on their shell. A true murderer was not quite human. Misa had met only one true murderer in her life. And then maybe a second, too.

But Light was also her savior, which justified his actions as Kira. No one else in this world mattered, no one existed. Everyone was filthy and needed this baptism. They were hopeless, and Kira was hope.

But who would save her now? The impact of a bullet was severe and faster than even Kira had it in his power to prevent. The mugger had aimed the barrel at the female spectator, who could only cringe in the pain she knew would soon sear through her body. And yet it never came.

Her shrill cry of panic was muffled by a sudden gasp when her body hit the concrete. Misa kept her eyes squeezed shut and her head sheltered in both hands as she waited. But the pain never arrived. With the new addition of weight on her body that was dripping a wet warmth, she confirmed it. Light had taken the bullet for her.

But the sight of a thick black mass of hair when she shifted her body to the side persuaded otherwise. L's head was cradled against her thigh, white neck exposed with the sudden shift of her body. Misa stared at the unconscious detective and the contrasting black-crimson streamers seeping down his shoulder. "Ryu … -"

…

"L…"

... tbc.