Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

as for Light and L, they own each other. ^_~

Summary: An alternate ending to what happened in the anime. What happens when Light regains his memory of the death note - and decides to give it all up? This is the ending that would have happened, if Light had chosen... *ahem* "friendship" with L over being Kira.

a LxLight story. obviously.

yaoiyaoiyaoi. (if you don't know what that means) translation: gaygaygay. boy on boy. =]

THE BEGINNING

handcuffs

"I have to admit Ryuzaki, this is one thing I didn't consider when I agreed to this." He held up his left hand, and the chains of the handcuffs clinked ironically.

"Hmm... yes," L said idly. Light was starting to finally get used to those large, staring and unblinking eyes of his. They always seemed to be on him, anyway. There always seemed to be a cross of emotion in that look, whenever he gazed Light's way. The others never noticed it - to anyone else it would probably seem as if L were just staring off, his mind blank, but Light could see it. Suspicions, the little wheels turning in L's brain as he stared, sometimes wonder, always curiosity. He seemed to be constantly analyzing Light's every move. There was nothing that Light could do without L watching. How long, how many months had it been since Light had been out from under that somehow piercing stare?

"Well, I'm afraid it comes with the territory," L continued. "Just think of it this way Light. I've already seen you use the bathroom, and shower, many times before. First when I had the surveillance cameras installed in your house, and then just a few days ago when you were locked away in that cell...."

Light smirked at that. "You sound like such a pervert."

L's expression changed into one of honest shock and innocence - he had been merely stating facts, not thinking about how he sounded or how people might react to his words. That's just the way L was. Then he made a face, and sat down on the closed lid of the toilet. "How many times am I going to be called a pervert before this is all over?" he complained quietly. "First Misa Amane, and now you, Light." He sighed. "Maybe I really am a pervert."

"Still depressed?" Light asked. They had just had their little fight-slash-conversation in Misa's room the day before. So... L would never be satisfied until he knew without a doubt that Light was Kira.... But that was just impossible. Almost laughable, even. Light would never purposely kill anybody, so how could he be Kira? He would remember doing something like that. For the thousandth time, he racked his brain for some scrap of suspicious memory. He remembered being at school, meeting Misa, and studying a lot. He remembered going on that date with that girl from high school, before he'd met Misa, when the bus they were on was hijacked.... That had been quite the extraordinary experience. And he'd met Ray Penbur that day, Ray Penbur... the one FBI agent that had acted strangely just before he died. Could Light really have been Kira? No, that was just impossible.

"What's wrong, Light?" L asked. Light snapped back to reality at the sound of L's voice, and turned once again to see that open stare on the other guy's face.

"Nothing," Light shrugged. "I was just... thinking." He sighed heavily, and began undressing. It had only been a few days since L had thrown these handcuffs on the two of them, and already this was becoming routine. Every morning, Light would wake groggily and sit up in his twin bed, next to L's, only to find said person already wide awake, sitting in that strange position of his and also already staring. "Good morning, Light," he would always say, and together (because now everything they did, they were together) they would go down to the kitchen for L's breakfast of sweets and sugars. Then Light would take a shower, extremely conscious of L sitting on the toilet just a step away. Well, at least the man allowed the handcuffs to be off while Light showered. (When L needed to bathe, he would simply handcuff Light to the door, and watch him from where he sat in the tub). All in all, the whole ordeal was rather embarrassing. Being watched 24/7, by someone with eyes so... piercing - it was uncomfortable almost to the point of actual pain.

Light sighed again, thinking back on the past few months. Why had he ever asked to be thrown in that jail cell in the first place? What on earth had he been thinking? The whole thing had all just been a waste of time - he should have known that it would be. All it had done was cause him trouble, and allow the task force to fall further behind in the investigation, watching him while they could have been getting actual work done searching for the real Kira. But no, Ryuzaki was convinced that Light Yagami himself had at one point been Kira. The guy just wouldn't admit to himself that he was wrong.

Well, let him think whatever he wants. That's what Light told himself.

It made Ryuzaki depressed to think that his deduction had been wrong, that the one fact his entire case had been hanging upon was far from the truth. He knew that Light was innocent, he had to. But probably if he admitted that to himself, L would lose it, and wouldn't be of any help in the case any longer until he got over it. The man had never once been wrong about anything, so it was bound to shake him up a little that he had been wrong this time. Well, if he wanted to say that Light was once Kira, let him say it. Light and he both knew the truth anyway, so what difference did it make?

"You know Light," L said lightly as Light stepped out and wrapped a towel around himself. "I've been thinking too."

"Oh really," he said, holding out his arm so that L could cuff him again. The little lock on the cuff always made an ominous little clink whenever it was snapped into place. The handcuffs were such a burden, but at least it was one that he could put up with, if this was the only way to stay out of that jail cell anyway. The cuffs were starting to leave red marks on his wrist though. He grimaced. So bothersome.

"Hmm, you're not much of a morning person are you?" L noted idly.

"That's what you've been thinking about?" Light snapped. The truth of it was, he was his worst in the mornings. Usually the shower put him in a better mood, but lately with L there, watching him even then, it took an extra hour or so for Light to get out of his slightly foul morning mood.

"No. I was simply stating a fact. It seems I keep learning more and more about you, Light Yagami.... Well, I suppose that will happen when two people are literally chained together all the time. Anyway, whenever this is all over, I hope that despite all this-" he gestured to the chain stretching out between them "-we can still be friends. That's what I've been thinking about lately, and what I wanted to say to you. In truth, if you are not Kira as I suspect, then I am glad to have met you Light Yagami. I know I said it before, but I think I'll say it again. You are the first real friend that I have had."

Light was a little stunned at the turn of conversation. Ryuzaki -L, whatever his name was- had a way of doing that sometimes. Actually, Light was kind of touched. "I'm glad you consider me a friend Ryuzaki," he said, flipping on the fan to clear away some of the steam. "And I'm glad to have met you too. Aside from being an occasional nuisance-" he too gestured to the chain and handcuffs "-you're really an interesting person." He smiled. "Actually, you're the most interesting person I've ever met. The strangest to be sure. But yeah, I'm sure we can be friends."

"...I'm relieved to hear you say so."

secret proposal

L makes a suggestion to Light that was never mentioned in the anime....

The day dragged on. Misa was her usual quirky perky self, barging in whenever actual work was getting done, complaining loudly whenever they told her to leave and constantly beginning for a date with Light - one that didn't include Ryuzaki. Near the end of the day, Light was every bit as annoyed with her as the rest of the task force members. L just wanted her to go away. Apparently it would take some time to convince her to let them work during the day, that capturing Kira was the obvious number one priority. Light's father, Soichiro, and Aizawa were both hoping to have her permanently banned from the work area. Well, good luck telling Misa Misa anything she doesn't want to hear. Not even Light could get her to do everything he asked her to.

And to top it all off, that night when Light was finally alone in his room - well, as alone as he could get anyway - and was hoping to get some rest, L had eve more inquiries for him. As depressed and unmotivated as L had claimed to be the day before in Misa's room, he had kept Light down in the workroom with him for most of the night. Light just wanted to go to bed, but Ryuzaki insisted that there had to be something they could do to further progress the Kira case. However, Ryuzaki himself really just sat around, eating his fill of sweets as usual, idly typing in a word or two on the computer every now and then, and Light even caught him playing cards a time or two. Whenever he called him out on these things, Ryuzaki would give him a guilty expression and an apologetic laugh, but that was it.

When finally they retired though, finally when Light was able to lay down and rest, L was suddenly once again in the mood for conversation. "Light?" he called softly in the darkness.

Light groaned. "Yes Ryuzaki?" Maybe the guy had finally come up with some sort of new lead for the Kira investigation - but Light really truthfully and honestly at that moment did not care. His mind was going out on him, he needed sleep. He'd spent over a month in that damn prison cell, sleeping whenever and sometimes on the floor. It had been so long since he'd been in a real bed, and now that he was finally out of that place he was sleeping like an angel every night. So you see, he was more tired than he usually would have been had he not spent a month in a cold prison cell, and his thoughts were a bit clouded. Right then he didn't care about the Kira investigation or any of that, he didn't want to have to think about all the tiny miniscule little details any longer. Really, Light just wanted all of this to be over. He wanted peace, and rest.

But L's real topic of conversation surprised Light, and took him off guard. "What do you think you will do... once we have captured Kira?" Whatever Light had been expecting L to say, it hadn't been that. He did have to think for a moment, but that was okay. This time it wasn't like a puzzle he had to solve. It was a simple question, one that he probably should have asked himself long ago.

"I really don't know," he answered honestly, turning on his other side and staring out the window. The chain connecting he and L together tugged a bit at his wrist, and L scooted a bit to give it some slack. There wasn't much space in between the two small beds - the chain for the handcuffs was much too short for that. "Go back to school I guess," he said, still wondering. Hmm... what would he do after all this? Go back to school? Really? He groaned internally just thinking about all the days he had missed. He'd have to start again the next school year. Would they even take him back? Well, he was one of the top scorers on the entrance exams. They practically had to let him back in, if he wanted it. "What will you do?" he asked, more out of something to say than honest curiosity. L didn't answer.

After a few more minutes of thought, as tired as he was, Light felt compelled to continue the conversation. "Hey, Ryuzaki," he started. "Do you think you'll miss any of this?"

"Miss it?" L asked idly from behind.

"Yeah. Not the people dying I mean, but the excitement and all that. I mean, this place is like... a second home for us all. Call me emotional, but I'm not one who changes my routine very often. I can get attached to things like that pretty easily. After everything winds down, I think I'll miss it."

L was quiet for a while. So quiet, that Light wondered if the guy had already gone to sleep. "I have to admit, this is the most daring thing I've ever done. Kira really is the greatest opponent I've ever faced - the hardest puzzle to solve. Anything after this will just seem easy. While situations like the one we're in usually teach people how to appreciate life more, I'll probably just get board." Light chuckled at that - it was so like him. "Yes, I do suppose I'll miss the chase. Still, I'll be happy to see Kira in our hands, where he belongs."

"Don't get me wrong," Light said quickly. He had detected that single suspicious note in L's voice, could almost sense the wheels turning again. "I want to capture Kira almost as much as you do - probably more, seeing as how much he's put me and my dad through. It's just that...." He thought for a moment, searching for a way to phrase how he felt. He rolled onto his back again, giving even more slack to the chain, the constant reminder that until this case was solved, L suspected him. Even more incentive to capture Kira. "Well, I think after all this is over, I'll probably just feel lost. I won't really know what to do with myself anymore. Maybe I should join the police force, and become a detective like my dad... or like you, Ryuzaki."

"Yes, I see what you mean," Ryuzaki said in his idle monotone. "Light," he said, and the sound of his voice had changed, had the sense of a fresh idea to it.

"Yes Ryuzaki?"

"How do you feel about becoming my partner after the Kira case? That is, if you are truly not Kira himself. And after you finish school of course. Maybe I could go back with you even. We'll finish it together."

Light sat up, staring at L. "Partners? You serious?"

"Of course I am Light. When am I not?" He yawned loudly. It seemed L did get tired after all.

"True, but I've never even considered such a future for myself. Are you sure?"

"Of course," he said again, rolling over in his blankets so that he could see Light's face. "If you are not Kira that is."

Light sighed. "Of course," he repeated mockingly.

"Actually this isn't the first time I've thought of it," L continued on, his voice still soft and unaffected by emotion. "I've considered it several times in the past because you see, your thought process is much similar to mine, Light Yagami. We would make a near unstoppable team, I think. And as I've said twice before now, you are the only friend I feel I have ever had. There is something about you. And if you are not Kira, my enemy, then it is only natural that I would want you as my partner. You see, I believe that you could almost do all the work that I do myself. Almost. So why not?"

L sat up in bed with a grunt, facing Light and sitting in that strange way of his. "You would be all too perfect for the job. I understand that you can't answer yes or no right away. It is quite a burden, and before everything else this will not, cannot be decided until I am absolutely sure without a doubt that you are not Kira. Obviously. But at least say you'll think on it, Light. It would really... mean a lot to me."

Shocked, Light stared into Ryuzaki's face. Was this another test of some kind to figure out if he was Kira? Or did he really mean it? Honestly though, him, as L's partner? He'd never thought about that before. What would it be like? Of course he wasn't Kira, so when this was all over.... Had he really ever considered what he'd do after college? Maybe he should give it some thought. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I'll think on it Ryuzaki."

L stared at him sleepily for a moment longer, and then rolled back into his covers. "Thank you Light," he said drowsily.

"Honestly, I should probably be thanking you."

A/N: You probably noticed how I switch back and fourth from calling L "L" and "Ryuzaki." I do that because I'm mostly writing from Light's POV, and he himself switches like this. He thinks of L as "Ryuzaki" "L" and sometimes even "Ryuga."