A/N : So who hasn't written a Death Note fanfiction? XD I haven't written fanfiction in forever, but I couldn't get this little scenario out of my head. Sorry if it's been done before. I just had to write it. :P Not finished, this is just the first segment of... I don't know how many I'll write. :P I'll try to actually finish this one. Anyway.

L hadn't even touched the chocolate covered strawberries that Watari had brought him.

The strawberries sat there on a ceramic plate next to the keyboard, glistening under the fluorescent lights above and the dull glow of the computer screen to the side. There were seven of those strawberries, plump and red, sitting in a brown puddle. Watari had brought them an hour ago, and the once-melted chocolate was now thick and cold.

Light hadn't noticed it right away. He was focused on his own computer next to L's, fingers tapping away at the keyboard. He paused in his work to fiddle with the metal cuff on his wrist- it was itching a bit more than usual today- and his gaze met the abandoned strawberries. His brow slowly rose as he observed L. The dark-haired fellow, chest resting against his thighs as he sat with his legs tucked against him, was staring at his monitor, thumb tucked between his teeth. He didn't look any different than he usually did. The eccentric detective seemed completely absorbed in his work as usual, sleep-deprived eyes nearly unblinking.

Light and L weren't alone. Matsuda and Aizawa were in the room in their own work stations, though the rest of the task force was elsewhere in the building. No one spoke for a while, absorbed in their respective investigations. It was a few moments after Light's gaze fell on L, that the detective returned it, dark eyes meeting Light's.

Light soon broke the silence. Light was always the type to notice small details- and the simple, small detail of the untouched strawberries concerned him- genuinely so. The friendship he had with L now was no longer a façade. It was a detail the detective didn't overlook, though it was an unspoken observation.

"Ryuzaki. Are you alright?"

"Hm. Why do you ask?" The nearly toneless, apathetic voice from the detective replied.

"You've not eaten your sweets. It's unlike you."

The faintest hint of a smile twitched on L's pale lips. He didn't respond as he looked back over at his monitor, scratching one of his feet with his toes.

"Well?" Light asked, swiveling in his chair to face L.

"You can have them if you like." L spoke as his hand dropped onto the mouse.

"That doesn't answer my question. You're being difficult today, Ryuzaki."

It was then when Light felt that there was something… off about L that day. Sure, he was never normal to begin with, but Light was perceptive. It was subtle- perhaps the other investigators wouldn't notice at all: there was something sluggish about L. His eyelids were slightly lower than usual. Perhaps he was paler, if that were even possible. His thumb lingered between his lips, teeth chewing away at the nail.

Light was about to say something else when he was met with more silence, when L slid abruptly from the chair, hands slipping into his pockets, and he began to leave the room toward the hallway. Light was dragged along, of course. It slightly annoyed him as he glanced over his shoulder at a paragraph he was writing on his computer- he was in the middle of a sentence. It happened often of course, but it never ceased to annoy Light. The chains were a pointless waste of energy, but nothing could convince L otherwise.

Matsuda and Aizawa only glanced up from their work before they returned their attention to their computers. They saw nothing odd about it.

Light found himself dragged behind L into the men's bathrooms. The detective made his way into one of the stalls, not bothering to even try to shut the door. Light sighed quietly to himself as he folded his hands behind his back and stared at the wall of mirrors and sinks opposite to the stalls, giving L some semblance of privacy as he tapped his foot impatiently.

Light stiffened and stopped tapping his foot at what he heard next.

L gagged, and liquid trickled heavily into the toilet bowl.

Light turned around, squinting at L's back as he was standing hunched over the toilet. "Well… that explains it." Light muttered, doubting L even heard him. He sighed, leaning against his back against the wall as he watched L's tense form, grimacing at the rather disgusting sounds.

Eventually L stopped vomiting, and there was a good minute of silence before he flushed the toilet and turned with some hesitation toward Light. His sleeve pressed against his mouth L exited the stall toward the sink.

Light watched him all the while, taking a step toward him and shaking his head. He wondered what exactly was wrong with L and why he didn't tell everyone sooner, but he spoke on none of it. "We always said all that cake couldn't be good for you." He said as he watched L cup his hands under the sink, taking a hasty sip of tap water.

After he turned off the water, gaze still lingering on the sink, L murmured, "It's not the cake." Slouching a little more than usual, he faced Light. For the first time that day, Light could definitely tell that something was very, very wrong with L. He hadn't been showing it earlier, but now he made no attempt to mask the frail state he was in. "In all honesty, I've never felt this bad before."

Light frowned sympathetically and L's miserable expression. "We'll have to tell the rest of the task force."

"Yes… we will." L looked toward the exit, wrapping his arms around his chest as he teetered a little. "What a setback…" He sighed.

"Setback? You're sick." Light hesitated. He was fully aware that L suspected him strongly. L had no one else to suspect, in truth, but Light knew very well that he wasn't Kira. As much as it might raise suspicions, he had to say it. His concern was genuine, no matter the fact that it might lead to further suspicion. Raising his right arm, he gestured to the chain that bound them. "Can't you take this off, just this once? You need to rest."

L seemed to consider it for only a few moments before he shook his head briskly. "No."

Light grimaced, feeling anger bubble up inside of him. He should've anticipated such a response from L, but it bothered him more than he wanted to admit. "Can't you just admit for once that I'm not Kira? If you're feeling that bad, you need to rest! You can't be stuck to me like this!"

L lifted his weary gaze to Light, analytical as usual, but dulled. "I'm not removing these until I'm certain you're not Kira. To do so now would be pointless. In fact…" He faced the sink once more, turning the water on and beginning to wash his hands, the chains clattering audibly as he scrubbed soap between his fingers. "If you're so eager to get them off… I can only assume you've been waiting for a moment like this… hiding behind concern for me so you'll have a legitimate reason to be freed. I can't do that."

Light wanted to hit him. His fist clenched at his side and he gritted his teeth, staying his anger. To punch L when he was in this state… no. He was above that. "You were just complaining about a setback earlier, Ryuzaki. So what do you want me to do? Keep up with our investigation while you're in this state or sit by your bedside uselessly all day? You'll just get worse unless you get rest, but if you do we set back our investigation needlessly by removing two of our detectives."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." L turned the water off and collected a few flimsy, brown paper towels from a dispenser.

Light's eye twitched slightly with anger. "So what are you going to do?"

L lifted his thumb, pressing it to his lips. "Mm. This puts me in a complicated position, doesn't it?" He muttered. "If I keep up with the investigation… I'm likely to just get worse, as you said. If I stay in bed… you're going to have to just sit there, work from your laptop. It's not going to be as efficient as being with the rest of the task force, but…"

Light sighed. "Suppose you wouldn't be able to sleep if everyone from the task force gathered in your room."

"That's right."

Light was infuriated, deep down. L was sacrificing his own health, and the investigation's efforts, needlessly. He wasn't Kira, and L couldn't let his pride be injured at the fact that his deduction was wrong. What if this cost him more than just his health?

"I think you're wrong, Ryuzaki. But I can't convince you otherwise, can I?" Light sighed, following L as he left the bathroom.

"No. You can't."

The two re-entered the investigation room, where Aizawa and Matsuda still worked. They looked up to acknowledge L and Light as they stood in the doorway- L had resumed his normal demeanor for the most part, though he was slipping ever so slightly. By the way they were simply standing near the doorway and not returning to their computers, they held Matsuda and Aizawa's attention.

"I've become sick." L explained simply. "I'll continue investigating for the moment. But if it gets much worse, I'm afraid Light and I will have to leave temporarily."

"Ahh… that sounds bad…" Matsuda murmured, chewing his lip worriedly. "Are you… alright, Ryuzaki? I mean, how bad is it?"

"If it's too bad you probably shouldn't be working, Ryuzaki. I'm sure we can take it from here." Aizawa assured him, folding his arms against his chest and giving L a confident look.

"Mmh. I'll live. Most likely." L began to head toward his computer, sighing, "I'd say there's a five percent chance it would get that serious."

As he approached his desk, he gave the strawberries a longing look. "So close, yet so far away…" He muttered, barely audible as he stepped onto his chair, sitting down with his feet still planted.

Light watched him all the while as he settled back into his chair, squinting at L, trying to read him based on his eyes. He'd just told him he'd never felt this sick. How serious was it, really? He might have been good at hiding it previously, but he was slipping. Light could tell by the occasional twitch in L's expression and the uneasy breaths he took ever so quietly.

Make that seventy percent.