ah! This is actually the first Death Note fic I've written, posted on dncontest LJcomm on April 10th, 2008. I've decided to archive it on here, as well has hopefully get some concrit on this piece. The prompt that week was "disease", and I hope I've fulfilled it well enough! This fic was an exercise in expressing a 'stream of consciousness', as well as characterization. Enjoy!
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
It is an ugly disease. L knows this, because the clinical manifestations of said degenerative disease include atrophy, lesions on the skin, progressive weakness and eventual paralysis of the respiratory system-
"...Ryuuzaki?" Light has a sheaf of papers in his hands- 97 chance of those papers being something pertaining to the document he was reading now: a list of deaths that are to be organized into a certain pattern based on causes, places, and times of death. I shall have to devise the graph myself.
There he is, with that perfect smile- and L wonders what the boy would do when he found more than his skin riddled with patches of dying skin, with his muscles wasting away. If he found that one day, his lungs would cease to function and-
"...Ryuuzaki..?"
L looks at the boy; subconsciously, he feels his own skin toughen, crack and bubble as his eyes suddenly roam to find a hint of angry red flesh reflected in innocent eyes.
Kearns-Sayer Syndrome.
...sensorineural deafness, eventual blindness, seizures, ragged-red fibers found in a muscle biopsy-
Wordlessly, Light hands over the newest charts to L, and the detective grabs them; L balances a plate of cake in one hand, and the stack of paper in another- an impressive task, considering his sitting position. Light glances over at the precariously placed cake, fork in his mouth as L began to thoroughly organize his genius.
the blindness finally occurs when the retinas begin to die, limiting vision altogether- sixteen deaths these past two days in different areas of Japan, must have someone organize a timeline including the whereabouts of certain suspects- blindness is inevitable after several years-
Light looks straight ahead at the computer screen, and L quirks his mouth into something that resembles a frown.
Kira can kill with a single glance.
Osteochrondritis.
He plays tennis beautifully. The boy's movements are fluid, and his quick thinking is evidenced in the court- the condition that is marked significantly by the inflammation of bone and cartilage-
"Point." Light's voice rings clear, and the challenger seems to be angry; his stance is one of rookie confidence, an easy grip on the racquet as he glares across the net. L has a perfect view of the boy's opponent, Light's back to the detective.
His joints would slowly disintegrate- Light nodded, and served with an easy grace that L had not seen since he himself had taken up the sport.
"Point." -excruciating pain as the patient would learn how to cope with the sudden swelling-
"Set. My Favor..." There was boredom in the boy's voice, and the student's face becomes a vicious hue of scarlet. L idly wonders if he would be willing to have a match someday-
"...looks like I win." Light's face is cool as the sun beats down on the humiliated student. His glare intensifies, and L can sense Light's pride from his seat, his poise immaculate and his stance perfect.
-in worst cases, the patient is rendered an invalid, and crippled to the point of never walking again; standing and sitting become a chore...
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.
...madness- the road to this 'utopia' is paved with twisted intentions and the bodies of the people sacrificed for these intentions...
They are so close. L knows that Light-kun is Kira; he knows this like he knows that one day, the patient will simply succumb to the disease and fall to delusions and insanity-
But Justice must prevail, and sanity flees at the upcoming tides of dementia begin to eradicate years of instilled morals and coherent thoughts...
When Light smiles, L searches for the hidden smirk that twitches at his lips, with the perfect expressions that do nothing but throw shadows on a perfect glass creation. That hint of insanity which threatens to creep up and snatch his finest suspect, his best case from under his feet and dangle him on a pretty mantlepiece as the degeneration proceeds to speed up- Light smiles again, and L knows that this shadow exists- he sees it when Watari's heart stops beating at last.
-there are never any survivors.
Spinocerebellar Ataxia.
For once, L feels something other than Justice, Anger or Regret. it always begins with simple falls- but the cerebellum begins to die, and the body cannot move on its own. vision beings to become blurry. He feels Sadness, like a gray blanket that gently falls to cover his eyes with nothing but a thin veil. L gently puts his oldest friend down, and stands. L blinks his eyes, and allows his blurry tears to bleed into his eyes before blinking them dry.
the patient will be in perfect mental health, but soon, will not be able to talk or walk correctly, and will eventually be a working brain imprisoned in a corpse. the patient is in danger even whilst eating- choking on food is common, and breathing will become difficult.
Kira has not won. insofar, it has no cure- the reason for the sudden cerebellar atrophy has not been found. L's eyes remain as impassive as ever, but his giant brain knows and his lonely heart tells him that he has not won. not yet. it is not I who is rendered powerless-
L's smile was nearly that of Light's- that of one who expected their prey to fall into carefully set traps. Several desperate measures must be taken- but L knew that he would win.
-crippled, blind, starving- not I, but Kira who falls.
bedridden. incapable of feeding themselves, going to the bathroom, or even opening their eyes. completely helpless.
He was going to win.