Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Death Note, except a few DVDs, t-shirts and a wallscroll. But legally, I own absolutely nothing.
This story was inspired by the fact that, in many MisaxL stories (which I love) Misa likes L's personality, and Light's appearance. So I decided to throw her into a situation where she can have both. In the end, though, she's going to have to make a decision. Can she love what is only skin- deep? Or will she learn to look past that, and find what is truly beautiful?
Yeah, okay, I know, all us MisaxL fans really just want to see them together, and most of us probably think L is adorable the way he is. Just remember, Misa doesn't see it that way. Think of it like Beauty and the Beast, only with the storyline turned backwards. And sorry if this story gets a little confusing, as it is bound to get...
Chapter 1: Unexpected Mind Game
"Yagami-kun, would you please come with me for a moment? There is something I would like to show you."
"Sure, what is it, Ryuzaki?"
Ryuzaki stared at Light with his wide, dark eyes, then turned and shuffled toward the doorway. "I will explain when you see it."
Light followed Ryuzaki through a series of hallways and staircases, contemplating the slouching detective. It must be something important, if he's taking time off from the Kira case to show it to me... Light reasoned. Or perhaps it has something to do with the Kira case... Maybe it's something that will finally prove my innocence once and for all. Or maybe... it's something that will instead prove that I really am Kira, and have been all along...
As it turned out, Light was right on both counts. But what he saw certainly wasn't what he expected.
They had come to a final door, and as Ryuzaki pulled it open, Light saw the glisten of metal in the darkness beyond. Ryuzaki reached over and the room was flooded with light. Before them was something like a large metal sarcophagus, but rather than being plated with gold, it was plated with screens, switches, and keypads.
"What the devil IS that, Ryuzaki??"
"It is Watari's invention. He showed it to me only recently. It's meant to aid in the catching of criminals, particularly Kira, of course."
"It looks like a futuristic iron maiden. What does it do, exactly?"
"You input all the available evidence of the case, then you step inside, and it propels you into the mind of each potential suspect, starting with the most likely one."
"That's impossible, Ryuzaki. There are six billion people in the world, there's no way this machine could have records on each one with enough data to get you into every person's mindset. It just can't be done."
Ryuzaki gazed at Light, wide eyes unfazed. "You are not understanding me, Yagami-kun."
"Yes, you are correct. It is impossible to have the records necessary to think from the mindset of every person on the planet. But we don't need a machine for that anyway, Yagami-kun. For someone who knows how to read people, the evidence is often enough to know what type of person to look for. But that isn't what this machine does, Yagami-kun. It does not put in the mindset of the potential criminal. It propels your own mind, quite literally, into theirs. It allows your spirit to leave your own body and move into theirs, where they can be observed in a way that could never be done before."
"This is not possible, Yagami-kun. This is where science and the supernatural fuse together into one entity. Please close your mouth now."
Light quickly snapped his jaw shut. Still, he stared, from Ryuzaki, to the contraption, and back to Ryuzaki again. "B-but, this is...this is illegal! It must be! This violates people's civil rights! You can't just spy on people, and you certainly can't spy into people's minds! He faltered as he realized that Ryuzaki didn't care what he thought, and was simply waiting for him to finish. "This is... wrong."
"Yagami-kun, people die every day, at the hands of Kira and other criminals. Isn't being murdered a violation of their civil rights? Isn't that wrong? And what would they say, what would their families and friends say, if they found that we'd had the power to stop it, and simply neglected to, because of the criminal's civil rights?"
"Ryuzaki-"
"Does that mean the criminal's civil rights are more important than the victim's?"
"Ryuzaki! Listen to yourself! Do you hear what you're saying? You sound like Kira!"
"And how do you know what Kira sounds like, Yagami-kun?"
"That's not what I- Ryuzaki, stop it already! We both know that's how Kira thinks, so don't go acting like I'm him! At the moment, you sound more like him than I do!"
Ryuzaki turned away and stared at the machine, but he wasn't really seeing it. "You're right. Sometimes I think Kira and I really aren't that different. We have similar goals, perhaps, and sometimes, we have similar thought processes. But then I remember how very different we are. Because in the end..." He paused, thoughtful. "...Kira is merciless. And I am not."
"Does that really make you two so different?"
Ryuzaki stared at Light over his shoulder. "It makes us completely different, Yagami-kun. The ability to empathize is what makes us human. I know that I am human only. But I believe Kira thinks he is more, and that he has transcended into a position of self-proclaimed godliness. Mercy is beyond him, and in his quest to become more than merely human, he has, in fact, become less. But concerning the point at hand..." He looked again at the machine. "You won't change my mind, Yagami-kun. I intend to catch Kira, no matter what actions I may have to take. I'm sure you have seen as much so far, and you should expect no different from me now."
"Well, I will admit, Ryuzaki, that your methods have tended to be a bit... unorthodox. Sometimes even illegal. This just seems to go beyond all that. Beyond laws, this just seems wrong morally."
"Since Kira's methods are unorthodox, my methods for catching him must be the same. Perhaps it is not moral, but it is logical." He pulled open the metal door.
"Wait, Ryuzaki. If you insist on using this- since I'm the prime Kira suspect, I want to try it first. I want to prove that I am not Kira, and I want to see who really is behind all this."
"That is exactly why I cannot let you go, Yagami-kun. As the most likely Kira suspect, complications may occur if-"
Light didn't listen. Determined to prove himself innocent, he pushed Ryuzaki and barreled into the contraption. But Ryuzaki wasn't so easily knocked down. He swayed, trying to get his balance, and toppled into the machine with Light, still holding the door, and accidentally slamming it shut.
When the door opened again, they both fell out of it onto the ground. Ryuzaki sat up, groaning. "What the hell happened...?"
Light stared at him, eyes wide. "I believe I am either dreaming or that we are the victims of an unfortunate accident."
"What are you-" Ryuzaki glanced up at him, and his jaw dropped. "But why do you...This is impossible..." He looked down at himself and let out a gasp. "How...?"
"This is your fault, you know." Light pointed out. "If you hadn't pushed me..."
"I wanted to prove I wasn't Kira, since you're so keen on the idea! Ugh, this is terrible! I don't want to be in your body! I work hard at maintaining myself, and you just look like a slob! No offense meant, of course."
"None taken. But now you're going to have to act like the slob I am. And I suppose I'll have to act like you..." Light stared at himself as if contemplating how to do just that.
"Why can't we just go back in and fix this?"
"Because it's not meant for two people. I think it's broken." Light (who was really Ryuzaki) pointed to the machine, which was smoking ominously. "I'll have to ask Watari to fix it. He won't be pleased that we broke it after only one use." Light stood up.
"Wait," said Ryuzaki (who was really Light) "Why can't we just tell everyone what happened? That way we can still act like ourselves..."
"No. No one is supposed to know about the machine. We'll both just have to act like the other..."
"But Ryuzaki, we can't pull that off! Someone's sure to figure it out!"
Light turned to face Ryuzaki, eyes wide with realization. "Yes. And I know who that someone is going to be..."
"Light... what are we going to tell Amane-san?"
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Okay, there it is! I've never been terribly good at writing fanfiction, or updating it, but here I am, trying once again! I've got good feelings about this story, and if you do too, please send a review! If you don't, then please be gentle.