porcelain pieces
The package was marked to a 'Raito Yagami' in sloppy handwriting, and an obviously fake return address was specified; reason enough for suspicion.
But curiosity go the best of the college boy, and he tore through the cardboard packaging like it was a long-awaited Christmas present.
Caramel eyes widened as they scanned the contents of the package.
Inside the box was a series of neatly-lined videotapes; each one stamped with a letter of the alphabet in blood red on each of the twenty-six tapes' sides.
He peered around his neat room as if to check for unwanted eyes. No one was there; and as far as he could tell no single piece of his orderly room was out of place; therefore no one could've planted a camera or recorder without his knowledge. The Shinigami Ryuk was probably downstairs eating an apple, but he didn't need that horrid thing around to examine a box.
Taking a deep breath, the boy gingerly lifted up the very first tape; the one marked as 'WATCH ME' in similar scarlet ink, and muttered, "Might as well send me a bottle marked as 'drink me'…"
For a few minutes Raito Yagami debated whether it was smarter to leave the box be or to watch the tape, and absentmindedly he started to flip the tape over in his hands.
A flash of white caught his eye.
Right under the tape was a label that read in the same sharp albeit messy cursive 'if you care for L'.
'Do I care for L? No…Well as a friend, of course. He's not my friend…is he…? Yes? No? …Oh well; curiosity can get you places…so fine,' he mentally debated.
Light made up his mind on 'yes' and inserted the awkward-looking tape into a slot above his television.
The black screen of his TV turned into a veil of static and for a second Raito thought that maybe placing the unknown tape inside the player wasn't such a good idea. But at the thought of the message about L, his doubt disappeared in an oddly quick manner.
After a few minutes of static, an old fashioned '3,2,1' appeared on the screen, the image of a man with raven hair following immediately after. The man looked almost exactly like the eccentric detective, except this raven's arms and legs were bound by shackles and his eyes were coloured a pale blue.
Immediately Raito noticed the scene behind the man; he was sitting on a wooden chair behind a matching Mahogany desk, ruby curtains drawn partially over a lovely view of what appeared to be a field of grass and a variety of flowers. Primrose wallpaper brightened the relatively dark room.
The man cleared his throat and began talking.
"Hello, Raito Yagami (as soon as he said it, Light noticed the man had a trace of an English accent). You may refer to me as BB. I am not and will not be your ally; but I am not your enemy either. If you are receiving this message, that means I have passed, and a certain associate of mine has sent this package to you. Do not ask yourself too many questions. I assure you all questions shall be answered in due time." The man smirked; a lopsided grin reserved for wolves; and wolves only.
'Who the hell is this man? And how does he know who I am? I'll know with time, then. Better not to worry too much…yet.'
"I have contacted you first, as my associate has informed me that you are closest to L. I know what you're thinking Raito-kun."
Raito absentmindedly started to lean forward; this man had an effect on him. His body language, way of speaking; he was enthralling. 'Kind of like L. Wait, no. That wasn't what I mean to think.'
The man on the screen tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Right about now, you should be thinking 'Exactly who is BB's associate and how did he receive this information?' (at this, Raito's jaw dropped; with so little information the man could come to such conclusions. Raito himself came to the conclusion that this man's IQ was above average). Well, dear Raito-kun, you will soon find out.
"I'm not really one to beat around the bush, but it seems like that's all I've achieved so far, no? The reason I contacted you was to relay what I wanted to do myself; what I would've done if given the chance to."
There was a short pause-a pause that added to the dramatic effect of the whole video. The eldest Yagami child could practically feel the arrogance emitting from the man with midnight hair as he stared expectantly at the screen. Light azure eyes shined with an imp-like mischief, and they seemed to pierce directly through Light's amber orbs.
"Raito Yagami, I'd like you to fix L for me."
A chestnut coloured eyebrow rose.
"Pardon?" he questioned, as if BB were standing in front of him.
"I'll explain everything in the tapes marked with the alphabet letters, if you choose to help me with this assignment.
"Here's how this will work out: you may choose to accept my request and listen to all the tapes in order, A to Z, and after each tape (where I shall specify a certain aspect of L that is 'broken') fix said aspect of L. Please note that should you choose to do this, do not tell L about me. If you decline, I'd like to ask that you reseal and leave this box of tapes (excluding this one in particular) outside the Tokyo Tower Hotel room 330 tomorrow at exactly seven AM. My associate shall send it to my next option."
BB giggled; a giggle that sent shivers up Raito's wiry arms. The seemingly innocent noise sounded like a screech of pain; not at all like a noise of amusement.
"Though the probability of you declining my request is less than .45% with the amount of affection you hold for L."
Raito felt his face heat up; was he trying to humiliate him? Raito found himself hating L's carbon copy a bit more by the second.
"Bastard…" Light muttered, attempting to lower the level of heat travelling to his face. 'I hold no feelings of affection towards that man…'
His head shot up, eyes still glaring, to peer at the TV screen; all noise had ceased and for a second it seemed like the tape had stopped as well. But sure enough, on the screen was the pair of blue eyes more serious than they'd been throughout the duration of the tape.
"Raito, the choice is yours, but I feel the only person who would suit my request is you. I believe that only you can put L's porcelain pieces back together again."
The screen turned black again and Raito sighed. 'So many questions…'
He pressed a button on a remote placed on a writing desk and the tape was ejected. Warily he removed the item and placed it back inside its respective box.
Amongst all the questions echoing inside Raito Yagami's complex mind, one stood out most:
"Do I really dislike L?"
'This question will be the end of me…'