Four Times The Trouble

The famous detective whose true name and face were hidden to the public, L, sat on the park bench, a safe and respectable distance from his suspect. He was eyeing the man he had already deduced was the baby serial killer, but still required evidence on, carefully. The man was potentially unstable, and actually L hated being on the front lines as it were. Not that he looked like a famous detective; however, he was still undoubtedly different from everyone else enjoying themselves at the park, particularly because he was neither a child, nor did he have a child with him.

He was too young for such things, at just sixteen years of age. He had already solved 13 of the top cases in existence, and that was from the age of 10. Closing his eyes, he wondered how much longer he would need to watch this man for. Already he could see the bloodlust in the criminal's eyes, and he wanted to get this over with so he could get out of the heat. L was not a fan of sunlight, and extensive exposure to it seemed to make his mental abilities decrease by 18% - this he found to be most irritating.

A boy entered his line of sight for a moment; his parents had just dropped him off. Ah well, no matter, he would soon move over to the equipment. However, much to L's increased irritation, the boy elected not to do this, but instead to settle himself quite comfortably on the bench beside L. There was blessed silence between them, for the time being, and then… "Hey."

L's brow creased. He was not usually spoken to be anyone, much less children. He elected not to respond; perhaps the creature would leave when he got bored? "Hey, aren't you going to answer me?"

Or not. Well, he could always try to humour it for a little while. "My apologies. I didn't notice, since we haven't met."

"Who are you?"

"That's hardly any of your concern."

"Right. But, who are you?"

L hesitated. Maybe he should just get up and move to another vantage point? The criminal was in plain sight after all, it wouldn't be too difficult. "Uh…" he sought out a name to give to the child, and decided to use the alias he already adopted at the local high school, whenever he felt the need to actually attend. "Ryuuzaki."

Before the boy could further distract him, 'Ryuuzaki' rose from the seat in one swift, fluid motion, and moved quickly to a different part of the park. The boy must lose interest, and go and join his fellow children, surely? Unfortunately, this was not the way this particular child operated; he himself was quite annoyed to be at the park – he was eleven now, why should he be forced to engage in such childish activities? And so the boy trailed after L, much the same way that a puppy would its master.

Ryuuzaki frowned. "Can I help you with something? I'm busy."

"Yeah? What with? Can I help? I'm bored."

"You cannot assist me. Please leave me alone."

"No."

'Children… why must they be so stubborn?' "Is there no one else you can persist with? You're distracting me."

"No one else is very interesting. Face it, you don't exactly fit in, do you?"

"… Thanks." 'Blunt. Even if it is true.'

"No problem. Anyway Ryuu-sama, what are you doing here?"

The killer was leaving. He intended on following, but with this brat it would probably put them both in danger, and the child didn't seem to want to go. Heaving a frustrated sigh, Ryuuzaki slouched over to a table and pulled from his pocket a handful of sugar cubes. Unsurprisingly, the boy sat beside him. Ryuuzaki glanced to the side and studied the boy's features; caramel coloured hair, neatly brushed (by his parents, most likely) and bright, wide round brown eyes that seemed to absorb everything around them; a typical description of an infantile homo sapien. However, this particular child was dressed differently from the brightly garbed children scattered about the jungle gym and swing set. Instead of the jeans and fluorescent t-shirts, this boy wore a well-ironed white button up shirt and pants that really belonged with a suit; not what most children wore, he noted.

Having taken all this in, L returned his attention to his heap of sugar which had tumbled all over the table. Collecting them together, he slowly began to stack one of top of the other in a tower, the boy's eyes following his movements intently. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Stacking sugar," he answered simply.

"Why do you have so much sugar?" he pressed.

"Because I happen to like sugar. Quite a bit, in fact."

"Oh… sugar is bad for you Ryuu-sama. It makes you sick – is that why your skin is so pale? Do you have diabetes?"

L felt no desire to hand out his medical conditions to this curious thing; and besides, he was perfectly healthy physically, thank you very much. "No I do not." 'I should just leave. If I return tomorrow, this thing won't be here and I will have more success. In future, I must take note not to involve myself in cases that have anything to do with children; it does not suit me.' Rising again, he left the sugar tower where it was and headed for the exit of the park.

"Wait," the boy called out, "My parents won't be here for another hour yet! And I'm really, really bored. Please, can you just…?"

"I am not here for your entertainment, understand? I had a purpose for being here, and now that purpose has come to a close. I insist that you do not bother me in the future." With that, 'Ryuuzaki' left the boy standing, and prayed silently that he would have more luck tomorrow. The offender had a pattern; he went to the park at the same hour every weekday. On weekends, he chose to hang out at the shopping centre. The pattern did not vary, and he would generally offend on Sundays. Predictable, really, and not something L would usually get himself involved in. However, this occasion had called for assistance; apparently the police were more incompetent than he originally believed them to be.

.,.,.,.,.

The second time L went to the park, he left almost immediately. Upon entering the playground, he found to his great displeasure that the boy from yesterday was here again. Ignoring him, L sat down at a table and pulled out a cup of tea. The boy joined him at once, and L fought down the angry shout he longed to unleash. Instead, he found his eye twitching as the boy told him about how sugar was indeed bad for him.

"I am well aware. However, I find that constant use of the brain counteracts this."

"Why do you have bare feet?"

"I find shoes restrictive."

"The way you sit…?"

"It is comfortable, and allows me to better utilize my brain."

The boy looked very doubtful, and even attempted to mimic the seat, only succeeding in tumbling backwards and almost falling painfully to the ground. Luckily, L had good reflexes, and was feeling charitable enough to catch the boy and re-seat him. "It takes some practice," he stated rather unnecessarily.

Not long after this, L slumped on the grass beneath a tree, sliding sideways so he lay on his side. "I'm tired…"

"Ryuu-sama? Ryuu-sama." The boy, who had been poking at his new 'friend' smirked faintly, and tried, "Ryuu-sensei?" He received a glare for his trouble, and he settled himself in front of L's face. Thus L's view of the suspect was once again hindered.

"Why can you not say Ryuuzaki?" he sighed.

"Because it is too long."

"Must you say 'sama', then?"

"What else? My father taught me to respect my elders." L winced. 'Saying it like that… I feel old…'

"You could use Ryuu-kun then."

"Oh good. Ryuu-kun, is the reason you're so sickly pale because you don't get enough sunlight?"

L had enough at that point, and hurriedly rose to his feet, leaving the park again.

.,.,.,.,.

The third time at the park was the last straw. As soon as he spotted the child swinging innocently (innocently, had L not known he was there just to spite him) he stalked over and glared down at him. He was offered a lollipop. "Ah…"

"I just realised Ryuu-kun, all this time and you still don't know my name. I'm Light Yagami."

L was a quick thinker. He recognised what many a fangirl squeals over upon learning of it at once. 'His last name… spelt backwards says 'I'm a gay'. Still, he's young. He'll work it out in his own time.'

"I see. Light, can I request that the next time you see me, you do not come near me?"

Meanwhile, Watari who had been asked to wait in the car, began to worry. L had told him very expressly that he would be only a moment, and since by Watari's count it had been 5.4 moments, he slipped out of the car and inched over to the park entrance. It wasn't hard to pick L out of the crowd – he appeared to be behaving out of character, electing to argue with a child instead of doing his job. Most unusual. At first Watari wondered if the child had a wealth of sugar-y foods, but quickly saw that L already had a lollipop. Frowning, he dared to approach, and when L spotted him, he muttered one last thing to the child and strode over to him. "Watari. We must try a new method; this location is not suitable. I cannot shake this 'Light Yagami' loose. He seems to have formed some peculiar attachment to me, and I can't seem to sever it."

"An attachment?" Watari was surprised; it seemed so odd a thing to happen to the young man at his side. Few would get fond of this panda-like man from just a glance. Nevertheless, L was the genius, and Watari trusted his decision.

So the fourth time L crossed paths with Light Yagami, L feared this attachment was something worse.

.,.,.,.,.

Since the killer also went to the shopping centre on the weekends, L chose to go here next. Seated at a café by the fountain, he watched the passing shoppers with great suspicion. His heart almost stopped; impossible. Disastrous. Light Yagami, and what L could only assume were his parents and younger sister, were among the shoppers.

Times like these, L wished desperately that his appearance were not so out of place.

"Hey!" Light called out, "It's that guy from the park!" he waved wildly, and before his parents could stop him, he had raced over.

"Light," they murmured upon seeing L, "we'd like you never to talk to this man again…" Yes, L did look the type of person parents would warn their children away from.

"Oh, please do, take him away. I'd much appreciate it," he said. Mr and Mrs Yagami stiffened, surprised, and Light pouted angrily.

"Why are you like that?" he demanded, "Do you hate people?"

"Yes."

"Well… well, too bad. You're interesting."

'It's… the opposite way around?' his parents thought in sync, 'Our son is the stalker?'

L immediately stood up and rushed through the people, flinching as he made contact with them. He didn't like contact. Unfortunately, Light was a determined little ass, and followed him just as quickly. L could hear the shoppers muttering around them. "They don't look like brothers… must be old friends or something." He shuddered; friends? With this stupid eleven year old? By now L had requested Watari to run a search on Light Yagami, and knew quite a bit about him.

"Ryuu-kun, wait up! Shopping with my parents is boring!"

"It seems to me that everything always is for you."

"Pretty much."

L stopped outside a sweet store and studied the goods available. "Light, if I buy you something to eat, will you promise not to show up to me tomorrow?"

Light rose an eyebrow, and shrugged. "Ok. Potato chips. And you have to eat them with me."

L was willing to do just about anything right now. No one else had ever so successfully bothered him. To think, beaten by a mere 11-year-old creature. "Deal. Come with me then."

'I hope my parents don't worry too much.' He followed after the older man into the shop, and accepted the packet of chips he was given. Outside, his parents shifted nervously; they had heard the conversation, and hoped fervently that the man really was as eager to avoid their son as it seemed. What was their child's fascination with the odd-looking man anyway?

Ryuuzaki allowed Light to lead him to a table, and shook his head when Light offered him some of the chips. An awkward silence descended on the two; essentially, it was a fairly ordinary sight. A 16 year old boy with an 11 year old boy wasn't such an unusual thing. Anyone not knowing the circumstances might not have been bothered; mostly it was Ryuuzaki's queer appearance and manner of sitting that bothered them.

In order to break the silence, perhaps, Light reached for a chip and mumbled, "I'll take a potato chip…" he raised his gaze to his elder companion, "and eat it!" he continued with enthusiasm, crunching the chip.

"… Are you alright, Light?"

"Yes, why?" the boy replied, smiling slightly at the disturbed expression on Ryuuzaki's face.

"That was an odd thing to say."

"I was merely easing the tension." 'Hm…' Ryuuzaki thought, 'This boy has potential for intelligence later in life. The way he speaks is different from other creatures his age too.'

This meeting with Yagami, Light was quite brief. Light's parents collected him swiftly, and L waved goodbye to Light for what he hoped was the last time. The following day, he was able to come to the shops and gather data and some minor evidence on the suspect, and there was no interference from creatures… er, children. And although L breathed a sigh of relief for finally being able to return to work, he found it was strangely quiet without annoying things hanging off his every word.

.,.,.,.,.,.

A/N: Arigatou to TwilightHaseo! She's the one who started this whole idea. The basic plot is hers. Also, the laptop with which I am typing this right now happens to be hers as well. So, my sincere thanks. Please, no one pelt me with hatred for doing things somewhat differently. Despite having been a writer and Fanfiction writer and reader for some time, this is my first Death Note fic. Also, I have only seen up to episode 25, though I intend to see the rest as soon as I can. When I do, I will include Mello, Matt and Near, of course. I also apologise for and o-o-c-ness, because, well, I have little experience in writing yaoi yet so please bear with me. Reviews would be appreciated.

L: Is this another one of those L/Light fics?

Kura: Hai, that's right.

Light: God not again… why am I 11? And why did you compare me to a puppy?

L: Why is he not evil?

Kura: I haven't exactly decided where I am going with this yet… it is 4:30am right now so… but eventually, the whole plot shall emerge. And I do intend to bring Light's darker side into the erm… light. Ha.

L and Light: Terrible. Why are we letting this person write about us?