A/N: Yes, another oneshot! I believe this is my first fic starring L and Light...is it? I dunno. I can't believe I never wrote them sooner. XD
So, this was inspired in a sort of (extremely) roundabout way by a Kuroshitsuji fic I read a while back...basically, pretty much everyone died, and I was wondering how they'd feel if they met...afterwards. You get me? ;) So, then this abomination was born.
There aren't any real warnings for this fic. It can be a yaoi if you want, I guess, but not if you don't. XD Kind of like my last oneshot, The Last Thought I'm Wasting on You. That one's with Near and Mello, if you're interested. (I'm shameless) So yeah, no bad language to speak of, no torture or whatever. Just lots of mushy feelings and stuff. :) Please enjoy! And if you don't think you will enjoy, then please don't flame. Flamers will be given killer evils.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of its characters. All credit to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Though they might give me Mello if I ask nicely...in Japanese. O.o
The Possibilities of Creation
L did not know how long he'd been there.
He'd stared at the unchanging, undying flowerbeds countless times, for countless hours, or countless seconds, or no time at all.
He knew the exact position of every precisely cut blade of grass, the exact layout of the painfully symmetrical trees.
No leaves ever fell from those trees.
All L knew was that this place was his own, there was no one else. And yet there were tennis courts, and benches the perfect size for two. L wondered whether his own subconscious had put them there just to spite him.
His world changed to his needs, but not his conscious ones. He never got hungry, he never slept, he never felt thirst. The flower beds and grass and courts and benches had been there since this began, and never changed, though L knew they could have if his subconscious wanted it. In fact, the only thing that had changed in L's time there was the sky. The first time he had opened his eyes to find himself there, immediately after he had died, the sky was pitch black, with roiling thunder and chaotic winds realising his panic. But now it was, and had been for a while, balmy and still, with no breeze or noise at all.
L knew this signified apathy.
He couldn't bring himself to care.
It was constantly twilight there, because, he supposed, that had always been his favourite time of day. It put everything into a half-shadow where nothing was certain, and there was endless possibility.
It was as a consequence of this infinite promise that L had named his place Creation. It was a blank sheet of paper, waiting for his subconscious to fill it with whatever it wanted.
L blinked up at the dusky violet sky, with clouds like candy-floss swimming through it. There was no moon, and there had never been one.
It was paradise. Or rather, L thought, it had the potential to be. Everything was perfect, yes, but that only made L yearn for chaos. It was quiet and calm, yet he longed for noise, any other sign of life than himself.
For the first time in a long time, or short time, or no time at all, L realised he felt lonely.
It began to rain.
L looked up in mild surprise when he felt the first drop hit his nose, and as he peered through the falling tears of his mind, he spotted a speck of light.
If L hadn't known nothing was alive here apart from himself, if even that, he would have said it was a firefly.
As L stood from the bench he had been leaning against and took a step towards the firefly, it started to swell.
L watched in muted amazement, a sudden gust of wind sending rain flying into his eyes as the light grew and grew and formed the shape of...
A person.
Just when the light became too bright for L to look at it any longer, it faded and extinguished itself, leaving a person standing in the same spot, in a crisp shirt and a tie and neatly ironed trousers.
And then Yagami Light crumpled and fell at L's feet.
L felt the suddenly freezing air before he registered his own shock and amazement. He stared incredulously at the boy in front of him, too astounded to move to help him.
Light's eyes blinked open and closed in a second. The he wrenched his lids apart and scrambled up in panic, looking severely disorientated.
He looked wildly around at the flowers and trees, before turning around to see if the other side of the place made any more sense.
His gaze fell upon L.
Light's eyes widened even more, and his mouth fell open slightly. He gasped for air as if trying to say something, but couldn't get the words past his leaden tongue.
Finally, he managed a sentence. "What the hell?" he croaked.
L closed his eyes, almost wincing at the agonising relief he felt at hearing another voice again.
When L said nothing, Light continued, almost tripping over his words. "What – where am I? How are you even alive?!"
L opened his eyes slowly. "I am not, Light-kun," he stated simply, his first sentence since he had closed his eyes for the not-so-final time.
Light seemed to have lost the power of speech once again. His eyes stared wildly into L's, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
L decided to explain further. "I am dead." He paused for a moment when Light flinched visibly. "I call this place Creation, as it seems to tailor itself to my unconscious wishes. I do not know how long I have been in this place, or where exactly it is. I am fifty-four percent certain it is neither Heaven nor Hell. For you to be here, I assume you are dead as well." L studied Light's face interest, avidly reading the emotions that flashed across it. There was panic, fear, desperation, regret, resentment –
A gale started blowing.
L frowned in confusion. His emotions weren't in such turmoil to warrant such a wind; he was merely extremely surprised and relieved.
L looked to Light's face again. The boy looked as if he were about to cry.
With a start, L realised Light could control the weather as well. He was part of this world.
This was his place now, too.
Light swallowed thickly. "I'm dead," he said, with no inflection whatsoever.
L stumbled slightly at the force of the gale. "Yes, Light-kun. Could you please calm yourself now, or we will be in danger of blowing away."
Light narrowed his eyes, perplexed. "What?"
"When I first came here myself, I realised the state of my emotions dictated the weather. It appears you are able to do this as well."
Light pondered over this for a bit, and seemed to grow slightly more placid, as the wind calmed into a stiff, constant gust.
After a while of silence, Light asked, "Is there anyone else here?"
L shook his head. "No. Nothing moves here apart from myself and you. I believed I was sentenced to an eternity of solitude."
The wind picked up again. "Then why am I here?" Light shouted, "Why me?!"
L frowned, crossing his arms across his body. "Do you not want to be here, Light-kun?" he asked softly, but steadily.
Light stared at him in disbelief. "Of course not! How could you even think that?! I hate you!"
They were suddenly drenched in a downpour of rain.
Light stared at L mutinously for another short while before turning on his heel and storming away, crackles of lightning sparking through the weeping clouds.
L waited quietly, until the lighting and thunder faded and it merely started raining even harder. Then, he stood up and went to find Light.
He found him an immeasurable distance away, curled up under a tree with his face hidden in his arms, shaking.
L realised he was crying.
He didn't hurry towards the boy, but rather walked slowly up to him, making sure Light knew of his presence.
The boy didn't react at all, apart from hiding his face even more. L sat down next to him, being careful not to touch him.
"Light-kun..." he started softly.
"Go away," was his muffled reply.
L just sat there, quietly patient, until Light decided to open up.
It was a long time, L thought, but then again, who could be sure?
Finally, Light whispered, "I remember everything now. Some of it came back when you were telling me about this place, and since then I've just been remembering more and more."
L nodded, though the boy couldn't see him, recalling his own, similar, process.
"I killed all those people." Light sounded broken.
L looked at him in surprise. The Light he'd known would never have regretted anything, no matter how grave the mistake was.
But he had only met Light after the boy had found the Note.
"I killed good people. I killed Ray Penber, Misora Naomi, my father –" he broke off, lifting his head to look at L tearfully. "...you," he finished, his voice cracking.
L betrayed no emotion, and Light continued.
"And that's not even all! I killed one of your successors, and his friend. I tried to kill Near!"
L remembered Mello and Matt, laughing and scampering about outside while Near watched them from behind the glass pane of the window. He hoped they were all happy, wherever they were.
"I killed Takada, and Mikami, and I ruined my family's life. I can't even remember the number of people who died because of me! Or the number of people wishing they were dead so they could be with their loved ones." Light let the tears stream down his face, abandoning all attempts to wipe them away. "I can't believe I would let myself do that. I was so obsessed with power and cleanliness and playing God, I just –" his voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands again.
L watched him, his face softening slightly. "Do you regret it, Light-kun? All of it?" he asked gently.
"Yes!" Light sobbed, "I see everything now, I'm myself again, and I can't believe what I've done! I would die for all those people if it would make everything alright again. Every single one."
L sighed softly, closing his eyes.
"I'd die for you," Light whispered, his voice barely audible.
L's eyes snapped open in surprise. Then he shook his head fondly. "That is not necessary, Light-kun. I do not resent you for my death in the slightest anymore, though I did initially."
Light shook his head. "Don't lie to me, L. How would you ever be able to forgive me for something like that? I smiled as you died!"
L remembered, and his heart flinched away. "Nevertheless, I forgive you," he reassured the boy. "What purpose would I have in lying, Light-kun?"
Light's shoulders had stilled, and it was only drizzling slightly now, though he still refused to look at L.
There was a silence, before Light said softly, "I didn't mean it, you know. When I said I hated you." He looked up at L, apology and hesitation written all over his face.
L smiled slightly. "I know," he said.
Light nodded and looked relieved.
L debated for a short time before asking, "Would you like to play a game of tennis? The courts are yet unused and it had been bothering me for some time."
"Yeah, okay," Light agreed, a gentle smile on his face, though some tears were still clinging to his eyelashes. "But be warned: I'll beat you this time as well."
L shook his head. "Not this time, Light-kun. I was here first, so I believe it would be my right to win the first game."
"Well, you'll just have to work for your right, then, won't you?" Light told him, standing up and heading in the direction of the courts.
L followed, and for the first time since he had appeared in Creation, the twilight faded and the sun broke through the clouds.
A/N: L and Light have no idea how lucky they are. In England right now, summertime officially starts next week, and guess what? THERE IS THIRTY CENTIMETRES OF SNOW OUTSIDE. What the hell? Spring was, like, a week long, and then it just went back to winter. -_-
Please review! It encourages me to write more~ :P