Disclaimer: Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
Author's Notes: This fanfic is a SIDE STORY to, and therefore contains SPOILERS FOR my fic Captive. Please read Captive before reading this one - it won't make sense otherwise.
Fun
Ryuk spends nearly every "visit" laughing. Whether to himself, to Light, or at L, who can't see him. L, who can only see the effects of his actions, who can only watch the apples float and be eaten by something, someone. And because of his logical mind, and situation, he can't bring himself to believe in the Shinigami. He probably doesn't know how to.
And this makes it all the more fun for Ryuk. It isn't the torture itself that brings him laughter, but the methods, the person doing it, and how L reacts to it. Human emotions are so very complex, so very different from Shingami's, that watching them becomes all the better.
It becomes a game, even. "What will this human do because of this action?" "What will this human feel because of these words?" He loves guessing, and loves being proven wrong. The unpredictability makes it all the more exciting.
At times, he'll hover in front of L, or to the side, watching his every small movement, listening to his every breath. Sometimes, he'll push his hand through the child's face or chest - and he is a child, in Shinigami terms - just to watch him shiver. What a wonderful reaction, how he wishes his own body were so complex. Wouldn't everything be so much more exciting?
This is something he can't do with Light, who would take away his apples - he doesn't enjoy the lack of control over his body, regardless of the brevity of such an action. Nor can he leave Light long enough to toy with other humans in this way, at least not as often as he likes. So now, in their almost daily visits he studies this human, who is just as interesting as Light in every way.
A few times he asks Light to hang around outside the door for a while so he can watch L, convinced he was alone. It's at these times that he looks much like the child he is - oh, he'll have to start thinking of them in terms of human life spans, won't he? - with his head sunk to his chest, and arms and legs bound to the chair.
He never sees him cry, though many times he looks as though he wants to. But who knows? Perhaps this human, lacking in so many emotions Ryuk sees in the others - simply doesn't know how. Could such a thing be possible? Or perhaps he is too proud, or too determined.
He never hears L curse Light or Kira, nor does he ever hear him pray. He doesn't seem the type to believe in the effects of prayer, though. In many ways, despite how interesting and exciting he is, L is boring without someone - without Light - to play off of.
Oh well.
Well...
These "faults" make him all the more interesting. That a human could survive so long was amazing. Physically, well, it was a marvel but humans had been adapting for so many years. It's when he begins to speak that Ryuk becomes interested again. Even when the Shinigami is convinced the child is too far gone to hear, let alone understand Light's words, he'll come back with a logical argument. Sometimes even Light, brilliant though he is, is taken aback by this sudden return of the healthy L.
A human's mind, Ryuk concludes, was stronger than their body.
Had Ryuk believed in the human concept of a soul - for that was what it was, a concept, an idea - then he would have attributed this child's strength to that. But Ryuk is a Shinigami, and he knows all about what awaited a human after death, and this "soul" plays no part in it.
Although, if any humans were going to prove him wrong, it would be these two, and these two alone. Of the billions of names walking the human world, these two are by far the most interesting.
And oh, when the Death Note brushes against L's fingertips when Light does everything in his power outside of brute, animalistic force to break the child, that look in his eyes. Ryuk's grin widens to lengths even he wasn't aware of when he sees this child's world come crashing down around him. He's sure - as sure as he can be, considering it's a human, and a very special human at that - that here every rational thought becomes a contradicting mess in L's mind.
And the fear! He doesn't scream, or question, no. How did the humans put it? Like a deer caught in headlights? Light had said jokingly, "my sister would have a heart attack just looking at you." Ryuk wonders if this child will have the same reaction, his eyes are so very, very wide, and his breaths are gasps. What fun!
Oh, oh, so the little human can cry. Well, that's good to know. And how very different he looks, so exposed. Then Light, who seems content to let it end here - oh, he must be very confident - smirks, and lifts himself off the child's lap and out of the room. He makes sure to turn off the lights, and Ryuk wonders what sort of effect that would have on this child. Cold, surely. But don't many humans have a fear of darkness? Maybe he wants L uncomfortable. Maybe he wants L to have nightmares should he fall asleep.
He doesn't ask Light - he'd much rather see it all play out to the end. Where's the fun in knowing the ending?
He hangs around again, watching the child cry and shiver from cold and fear and he doesn't even try to get his breathing under control. Ryuk stands in front of him and grins and watches as L's eyes lift upwards to stare at him. And the fear sweeps back over his face again and his eyes widen.
Ryuk's sure he looks like a devil to this child. His eyes glowing in the dark, showing arms and legs that must seem so terribly wrong to the human mind. He watches these emotions and he doesn't give his usual chuckle, but rather a full laugh, because this? This is hilarious, this is exciting, and he can't wait to see what happens next.
He is about to leave when he hears something different. Not the crying sounds, not the gasping breaths. He thinks it's words. He steps forward until he can put his face just inches from L's. "You say somethin'?"
But his sudden movements, and perhaps even his words have sent the child back into shock and horror and he says nothing more. Ryuk feels the tug that means Light is getting farther away, and it's time for him to follow. As he glides to the wall, the child speaks again, barely above a whisper. "Are you here to take me to hell?"
He doesn't think the human could hide the fear, even if he tried. Ryuk laughs and says, "Light said the same thing when he met me."
When Ryuk returns the next day, he sees L in a pretty sorry state. He doesn't respond to anything - not Light, not Ryuk, not the names written neatly into the Death Note.
How boring.
All he does is drink the water Light pores into his mouth, and Ryuk thinks he only does that on reflex. All he does is tremble when Light sits so close or on his lap, again and again. Whatever Light whispers in L's ears goes unheard; Light's hands and lips on L's skin go unfelt. He just shivers and stares at whatever his head has been turned towards with blank, dead eyes, and it's getting so boring. The next day and the next day and the next day are all like this, and Ryuk finally says aloud, "I think you broke him." Light glares at him and exits, leaving the two of them alone.
"I'm afraid," L whispers after a time. His eyes look dead, and his voice reflects this. Were it not for his constant breathing, Ryuk could have mistaken him for a fresh corpse.
"Oh?" he walks closer - but not too close as to scare him again - and waits for more.
"I don't trust..." he licks his dry lips. "I... What I've done." He stares down at the hand that Light shoved a pen into. "Is there a hell for people like..." his voice trails into nothingness, and it makes Ryuk want to answer.
"Those who use the Death Note... go to neither heaven nor hell."
"Something else, then?"
He chuckles to himself. "Maybe you don't want to know." But if any humans were going to prove him wrong... "But I've never heard of a human forcing another one to use the Death Note."
L strains his eyes to look upwards, and Ryuk can see the silent plea.
He shrugs. "I won't be writing your name in my Death Note," is all Ryuk says before he spreads his wings. The shock and fear excites him, and he grins wider. He cocks his head at the child, then in a swift movement jumps through the ceiling and out into the streets. He catches up with Light easily and falls into a silent pace behind him.
Days later, L speaks to Light with a sudden burst of strength that Ryuk had thought was long since destroyed. Ryuk watches him after Light leaves, but says nothing. He simply grins that wide, sharp-toothed grin, laughs to himself and leaves in silence. When L and Ryuk are alone the next day, L asks, "You said you aren't going to kill me yourself... Why?"
"I'm neither on Light's side nor on yours."
His interest seems to have been piqued as he continues, "Then what are you doing here?"
"Having fun," Ryuk answers.
L gives him a questioning look, prompting Ryuk to continue.
"The Shinigami realm is so dull. There's never anything new. But here," he laughs. "This is fun. Watching you humans never gets old."
The child smiles. Ryuk is almost willing to call it a smirk, but it lacks the malice of such an action. "If that's the case," he says. "Things are going to get much more interesting very soon."
He chuckles. "That so? I can't wait."
The next week Ryuk sees nothing he'd consider interesting, and though L is in much higher spirits, the child refuses to say anything. Which, Ryuk thinks, is all the better. L, like Light, knows not to spoil the ending. Light, too, talks to him less and less, and when he does he is curt and agitated. Curiosity gets the better of him, and when Light is putting up the pretense of working to catch Kira and find L in the investigation headquarters, Ryuk begins his own investigation.
Finding an old man and a police officer he's certain Light isn't aware of to be almost impossibly close to being able to arrest Light is an amazing surprise. Naturally, Ryuk can't say a word of this to Light, so he simply waits to see how it all plays out. He watches as Light becomes frantic, knowing he is so close to capture - to death - and at the same time planning, desperately planning on how to escape his fate.
It's absolutely wonderful, rushing from place to place, watching Light prepare, pack minimally and make one final stop to L. He thinks he sees just a little desperation in the child's eyes, a little twinge of fear, despite his proud, confident tone. Then again, Ryuk could be wrong. The child had said he had no fear; that he was certain. Hm. Well. Ryuk decides not to think on it.
So as Light scribbles the names of every police officer he's aware of on the team into the Death Note from his hiding place on a ship heading overseas, Ryuk simply laughs.
And all the while he just thinks, what fun!
END NOTES: Thanks for reading this little side story! While it was mainly a writing exercise, I hope it also shed a little light on what was happening on Light's end... Or at least Ryuk's version of it. ;)
A lot of reviewers have asked for a sequel, and even though I originally said there wasn't going to be one, there is a true sequel-type-thing in the works. The problem is, I'm not entirely sure how well it'll go over - it happens to be a crossover with a very, um, "interesting" series. Despite the oddness of the other series, it meshes very, very well with the Death Note universe. Don't expect the sequel (which should be called "Memory," by the way - speculate as you wish) until, at the very earliest, this time next year. This is because, not only am I starting college, but I'm working on something different - related to these fics, but still very different. ;)
Finally, as a treat and thank you to my reviewers, please view my profile for some extra Captive-related goodies. )