Disclaimer: Death Note and recognizable characters belong to Ohba/Obata. Another Note belongs to Niosin.
Author's Note: This is for week 3challenge at devilsdeathnote, and well, I might have lost my mind at this point, thank you B! The poem is mine. Hope you guys enjoy!!!
"Kiss the Devil"
By C.K. Blake
Follow me my pretty,
Let me tempt you
With promises of sinful delight,
Take thee this fruit,
And with but a bite,
Knowledge to thee I impart.
Darling child, fruit supple and sweet,
Let it tempt and be taken
Betwixt lips and teeth,
And all your desires, childly sweet,
They are yours darling dear,
All yours to keep.
-C.K. Blake
The words are acidic as they fall from my mouth, and I can see the final spark dying in his eyes, I raise my eyes to look at the name and lifespan hovering above his head. Alternate's time is nearly done. With a leer pulling at my mouth I can't help myself. I reach forward, my hand slipping into his wild brown curls, dragging him forward, closer, closer, and I can read the surprise on his face, shock lighting up his eyes for a moment. I shift, capture his mouth with my own, slipping my tongue inside, tasting what once was forbidden. My greatest rival doesn't have much time left. As I pull back from the kiss my teeth catch his lip, the sweet tang of copper sharp on my tongue as I continue to pull away and see the blood rising from the small wound on his bottom lip.
He looks up at me with his wide, deadened eyes, how the light fades so quickly. I want to see the life there for just a little longer, I want to see the rage and the hatred and the knowledge that not only will I outlive him but I will succeed him. I'll even succeed L, or if not that I'll beat him at his own damn game. Right now that's irrelevant, the only thing that matters now is the short lifespan hovering over Alternate's name and the fact that I will see life in his damn dead eyes.
I dart forward again, but this time he shoves me away, and there it is, that life that I have to see, that light that burns brightest just before it's extinguished.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hisses, and I let out a chuckle.
I run my thumb over his lip, catching the blood there, and then I run my tongue across my bloodstained thumb, my cursed eyes locked on his, that sweet coppery taste bursting across my taste buds, and I can't help it as I close my eyes in that moment of pleasure. Lazily I open my eyes, see the disgust in his gaze and finally I answer him, "I thought that was obvious. I'm the devil, Alternate, and I'm tempting you. Quick now, you don't have much time left."
"You're just a cheap imitation of L, what makes you think you could possibly tempt me?" he snaps, that spark in his gaze growing brighter still, and what harsh things he says.
I tilt my head to the side, changing my perspective. "I am not an imitation of L. I will prove myself. I will be better than L, and I'll long outlive you A. You're closer to death than you think. What's a little pleasure between friends as a goodbye?"
"We were never friends," he replies simply, and he turns from me.
I grab his shoulder, spinning him around, and I rise to my full height, and he can see the difference I can tell. He sees beyond my resemblance to L, he sees me, Beyond. "Fine, then what's a little fuck between rivals? I expect a proper goodbye from you A. Don't you think I deserve as much?"
"I don't owe you anything," he hisses.
I lick my lips, because the look in his eyes is fiery, and I know there's much more to come. "I'm glad you feel that way. This makes what I'm about to do so much more fun."
His dark eyes widen, and mine narrow, because this is about hunter and prey now, we are playing a game where only I know the rules, and the main rule? Very simple, the main rule is that I win.
I slam him against the wall of his room, I nip at the curve of his shoulder and then run my tongue up along his neck, my hands tightly coiled in his shirt, the fabric stretched tight across his shoulders and chest. I release the shirt, slip my hands beneath it, his stomach trembles beneath my touch. He turns his face away, his eyes squeezed shut, but his body is warm. He is alive and warm, and so full of hate and loathing for me. In this moment he has never been more beautiful.
He's struggling now, and I can feel the strength in his wiry muscles, and I want to see that fire blaze as bright as it can in his eyes. My hands close around his throat of their own accord, tightening. He struggles more, his eyes widen, and he raises his own hands to mine, trying to get me to release my hold, but I like the sight before me, he's so close to death, but he wants to live, is desperate for his next breath.
I slowly loosen my grip, my head tilted as I observe him, his body grows slack, as he gasps and struggles to regain his breath. He looks up at me, his eyes locking with mine, and they are blazing as he speaks in a raspy, choked voice, "You could have killed me! What the hell is wrong with you?"
I chuckle, how quaint that he would think I'm his killer, then again with what little time he has left, maybe I am. I can't resist taunting him. "Your time is not up yet. Fight A, hate me and fight for every breath you have left. I want to see you alive. How much do you hate me? Come on A, while you still have time. Show me while you still have time!"
His chest is heaving, loathing and fear filling his gaze, and I can't take it anymore, his silence, waiting on his move. I've never really been a patient person, and so I take the leap where he hesitates. I dart forward, my lips crashing against his, and the darkness swells about us, the promise of pain, death, want, hate, loathing, and need crashing around us, drowning us as hot skin touches hot skin and we're lost to each other.
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It's been three days, and as I look down at my watch I curse. I'm late. Damn that stupid little kid, Mello. Like I give a damn about what happened to his precious chocolate. I can't miss this. I rush down the hall, and I've never noticed how long the halls are in this place.
Finally I reach the door. A chill of anticipation runs up my spine, a fear and want inside me, wanting what I know to be true to turn out to be a lie. My hand closes around the doorknob, much like it closed around his throat three nights ago. I take a deep breath, and then my hand turns the knob.
I slowly push the door open, and the first thing I notice are the bare feet swinging back and forth in mid-air. How ironic that he would choose to die breathless.
I slip inside of the room, raise my gaze to his face, his lips are blue, his eyes shut, and I know I'm too late, I was too late to watch the life drain from that beautiful, bright, warm body. I take in a few shuddering breaths. I look around the room, everything is in order, nothing out of place except…
The paper crane is carefully and meticulously folded, placed on his nightstand by the bed. I walk around the bed and the suspended body, giving the body a wide berth, and I reach out, snatching the white crane. I then walk toward the body, slowly close my eyes as I wrap my arms around his legs, catching the scent of him from his clothes. He's still warm, fresh. I open my eyes, bend down, my lips brushing his feet, and then I turn to leave, slipping out of the door I know that I have nothing left tying me to this place. I've had enough of Wammy's House. I'm done trying to live up to a letter. I will be better than that damn letter.
I go to my room, pack a few things, and then I leave. Everyone is too busy with the discovery of A's body to noticed my escape, I just slip away. It's not like they would care. Roger would probably be relieved to find that he's got one last brat to look after.
Once outside I run. I run and run, put as much distance between myself and that house. I'm not sure how long I run, but finally I reach a small town, and I know that A's body will soon find its way here to the morgue. I can wait until nightfall, say my final goodbyes, and then live up to my own name.
I sit down in a shaded alley, my back to the brick wall, and I pull the crane out of my pocket. I unfold it, noticing the precision of every crease, and as I unfold it, A's final words are revealed to me, and to me alone. I was meant to find him, to find this note. Maybe he knew what was coming, or maybe he was the first to believe me.
Never hated you Beyond. Only hated that I wasn't allowed to want you.
I always wanted you more than I wanted to be L.
-Alternate
I fold the note back into the crane, my breath shaky as I inhale and slowly exhale, and I sit there for hours, until nightfall. The coroner's van has long since passed by my alley, and it's late. The night is cool, and I quickly get to my feet.
It takes me nearly half an hour to find the small doctor's office, where the coroner's office is located around the back. I make quick work of the lock, and the office is dark as I slip inside. It doesn't take me long to find the room where the bodies are kept, and it's colder in here than it is outside. Still, I pull the sheets back on the table. His is the third body in the room. I look down at it, so pale, they've already exsanguinated his body. His body is cold, his lips blue, and so unnatural, the skin waxy. Still he's so beautiful, and his final words were for me, mine. Just like A, Alternate was always mine, my first. My very first victim. Looking down at that pale face, no name or life span hovering over his head, I have my inspiration. I know what I am, what I'm meant to be.
I lean down, my warm lips hover over his cold ones before I close the distance, kissing him, and remembering him as my first, my most cherished.
I am Beyond Birthday.
-End.