Summary: Raito asks L why he doesn't take better care of himself. L reluctantly answers. Oneshot.
Info: This takes place while L and Raito are chained together, and Raito has no memories of being Kira.
AN: This has been a horrible, horrible plot bunny. It's been festering for a while, and I finally had to get it onto paper. I can only hope that I got the characters correct, I hate it when they are too OOC. I hope that you enjoy, and will leave me a lovely review to let others know to read as well.
Secrets
"Come on Ryuzaki, I'm ready for bed." Raito called, giving the chain that connected himself to the odd looking dark haired detective.
L sat silently, crouched on his chair facing a brightly lit computer screen. His long fingers flew across a black keyboard, and Raito watched as L's dark eyes darted back and forth over the screen, absorbing the information and connecting thought processes.
The clock on the wall flicked to 1:03, and Raito gave another jerk of the chain, interrupting the spider-like fingers.
"Stop ignoring me, come on! I'm ready for bed Ryuzaki, it's one in the morning!" Raito said firmly, trying to stop his eyes from drooping. How L could stand to do this night after night, he would never know. Raito had never gotten less than 8 hours of sleep a night, and the lack of sleep every night was quickly impacting Raito's mood, making him irritated.
The detective gave a sigh as he withdrew his hands away. He turned his head to look at Raito, dark eyes boring into Raito's own.
"I apologize Raito-kun, I was not aware that you had a bedtime." L replied flatly as he closed his laptop, "We will make a quick trip to the kitchen, and then retire to the bedroom."
Raito watched as the somber detective unfolded himself from his crouched stance and stood. The older man snagged his laptop silently, and Raito fought the urge to roll his eyes. Raito knew that he would get no sleep as long as L planned on staying up working, the constant and rhythmic sound of typing on the keyboard would quickly sound throughout the room and keep Raito awake.
The pair strolled towards the kitchen in silence. The hallway was dark and narrow, and Raito allowed L to take the lead, following closely behind the older man. Raito let his gaze drop down to L's bare feet, shaking his head to himself as he considered the detectives odd quirks.
L only wore shoes when absolutely necessary, otherwise choosing to go completely barefoot, even in public. He never sat, only crouched. Raito had caught him sleeping in a crouching position a few times before. The man only ate sweets, at least, that's all Raito ever saw him eat. It was a wonder how L wasn't diabetic yet. And those were only the tip of the iceberg regarding L.
They entered the dark kitchen, and as L flipped the light switch on the wall, the dark room was filled with bright light, causing Raito to shield his eyes. He felt the chain tug slightly, and allowed L to lead him momentarily until his eyes adjusted.
L opened the fridge and emerged with a small cake, frosted in white with strawberries placed prettily on top. They moved to the counter, and L gently set the platter full of cake down. Raito watched as L rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a knife and slicing a large piece of cake.
"Raito-kun, would you please hand me a plate?" L asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
Raito gave a slight nod, "No problem, Ryuzaki." He mumbled, reaching for the cupboard to his far left. He opened it and grabbed a heavy glass plate, then closed the cupboard door. He handed it to L, who mumbled a 'thank you' as he placed his slice upon the plate.
The cake was returned to the fridge, and L, cake in hand, proceeded to lead the pair out of the room. As Raito left, he flipped the light switch again, drowning them in darkness. L navigated the darkness fearlessly, and the pair soon reached their room. L placed the cake down on the night stand near their bed, and then reached into his pocket, his hand emerging with a key a moment later. Raito held out his wrist, and the cuff clanked as it hit the floor.
"You may go ahead and get changed, Raito-kun. I shall do the same, and then you may go to sleep." L said, turning away from Raito as he made his way over to their dresser.
Raito watched as L pulled out a set of grey pajamas, and then moved away as to allow Raito access to the dresser. Raito silently walked forward, ignoring the sound of rustling clothing and the feel of L's dark eyes watching him. He pulled open his drawer and grabbed a set of blue and white pinstriped pajamas. Closing the drawer, he didn't bother to turn around, and began to change. He could feel L's dark grey eyes staring, but ignored them again as he finished getting dressed.
Once dressed, he picked up his clothing and placed them in the hamper before making his way back over to L. He held out his wrist, and the cuff was reattached, the clink of the lock seeming to echo. Raito walked to the bed, sliding in under the sheets, happy to rest his body and mind.
L slid in next to him on top of the blankets, returning to his unusual crouching position. Raito watched the detective snag his plate full of cake, and begin to happily munch.
"I know it may be an inconvenience to Raito-kun, but I will not be able to see to eat my cake with the lights off. I will turn it off momentarily, after I am finished and have my computer set up." L mumbled, his mouth full of half chewed cake.
"Ryuzaki, may I ask you a question?" Raito asked suddenly.
"You already have, Raito-kun, but proceed. I cannot guarantee I will answer though." L retorted as he swallowed down his cake.
"Right, because you think I'm Kira." Raito muttered flatly. "Why don't you take better care of yourself Ryuzaki? I mean, your diet is atrocious, you barely sleep, and you're over worked and stressed all the time. If you keep doing this to yourself, you'll kill yourself." Raito said softly, taking note of the surprised look on the detective's face.
"I was not aware Raito-kun cared. But if I made such drastic changes, my chances of catching you, Kira-kun, would drop 79.6 percent. Though that may be what Kira-kun would like, it is not what I would like." L said firmly, his dark eyes watching Raito, void of emotion and seeming to draw him in. Raito shook his head gently.
"I've told you time and again, Ryuzaki, that I am not Kira. I'm trying my best to prove that to you, so please don't regard me as a murderer. I'm only asking as a friend, because we are friends, right Ryuzaki?"
Raito watched L give him a curious look, before nodding.
"Yes, Raito-kun is my friend. I will try to refrain from speaking to him in such a way." L stated, meeting Raito's eyes.
"So will you tell me why you don't take better care of yourself then?" Raito pried, his curiosity getting the best of him.
Raito heard L let out a soft sigh, and watched at the man took another bite of his cake. After he swallowed, he spoke again.
"Besides the added benefits in solving cases, I've known from a young age that I wouldn't be long for this world. Why should I not enjoy the time that I have here, Raito-kun?" L said softly, not meeting Raito's eyes, staring blankly at the wall ahead.
"What do you mean you aren't long for this world? I mean, I know that the life of a detective isn't safe, and god only knows how you don't have diabetes, but none of that is a death sentence!" Raito cried out.
L's dark eyes met his, and Raito could see emotions swirling in the endless darkness, though he couldn't name them.
"When I was younger, I met a child who predicted my death right down to the exact second. He had red eyes, and could see things that no one should be able to see. He proved to me that day that he spoke the truth, and since then I have known that I wouldn't live a long life." L said cryptically, his eyes still holding steady as he watched Raito.
Raito scoffed.
"You let a child unnerve you so bad, Ryuzaki? It was just some kid playing a prank! What in the world could he have told you to prove to you that he was telling the truth?" Raito asked with a laugh.
"My name, Raito-kun. He walked up to me, introducing himself, calling me by my true name. He explained that with his eyes, he could see my name and how long I would live. He then told me the day that I would die." L whispered, before shoving another bite of cake into his mouth. "So you see, in a world where no one knows who I am, I was forced to accept the reality of what that child said."
Raito sat silently, absorbing what L said, shocked. How could some kid possibly find out L's name, when the rest of the world couldn't? How could it be possible for ANYONE to see the name and lifespan of another person?
And if what L was telling him was true, what a terrifying truth, to know the exact date and time of your death. And what a terrifying and amazing power for a child to hold.
"What happened to him?" Raito asked suddenly, only to be met by a confused look from L. "The child, I mean." Raito clarified.
"He died," L said simply, shoveling in the last bite of his cake. "Just a few years ago, actually." L said with a mouth full of cake. His words came out slightly muffled.
Raito nodded to himself, trying to absorb the new information that he had learned about the detective, and secretly relishing in the fact that he knew something about L that the rest of the task force did not. He knew a secret, a bittersweet secret that his friend and jailer would likely not live long. The thought weighed heavily in his mind, and made it hard to breathe.
"I hope that he was wrong, L." Raito said gently, turning over so that his back was to the detective.
As the light on the nightstand was flicked off, L answered.
"I am 99 percent certain that he was not, Raito-kun."