-Please note that the times mentioned throughout this Fanfiction are set in 24 hour time. If you don't know how 24 hour time works, just subtract 12 from any number higher than 12. (Ex: 13:00 is 1:00 pm, 20:00 is 8:00 pm, etc). Single-digit numbers along with 10 and 11 are AM.
Psychotic :
A
Mafia Headquarters, March 25, 10:21
"I'd appreciate it if you'd cease following me," L murmured almost indiscreetly to the little boy tailing him since he awoke that morning. (Why is he following his leader, of all people?)
"I can't stop following you. I am you!" the raven-haired boy grinned up to the twenty-one year old mafia leader. Displeased with his lack of response, the little boy tugged on the other's white dress shirt impatiently and then mustered up a little whine.
(He's me? No, that's not right, I'm me…)
L slowly examined the hallway he was walking through and found no cameras and no rooms, so he spun on his heel. Attempting to keep his cool, the older man monotonously said:
"Stop following me. I've an important meeting to attend regarding a rivalling force. I'm not sure why you insist on following me, but you must stop. The world's greatest mafia leader is no person to toy with."
The younger boy pouted cutely, but continued to stalk L down the hallway and through a large set of mahogany doors embellished with gold.
Much to the younger's surprise, there was no group of high and mighty opposing forces in a rounded table. There was a simple black computer in the centre of a room bare save for scarlet curtains shunning sunlight.
L put a scraggly finger to his lips when the boy came to plop on the floor next to him and spoke into a microphone:
"This is L."
"It's a done deal, then," the world's greatest mafia leader murmured to himself once the line went dead.
He then searched for the raven-haired boy to question him (Perhaps he was one of my successors?) only to find that the boy had disappeared from the room.
15:30
"I appreciate your dropping all your many duties to discuss a certain matter with me, Watari," L said, sipping a porcelain cup of tea and placing it on the ivory table in front of him. The tea room was quite fancy, and L made positive it was absolutely stunning to guests, or anyone else whom he had to meet with, for that matter.
"Not at all. What is this urgent matter you speak of?"
"Not so much urgent as it is annoying, but there has been a small child following me around the headquarters lately, badgering me consistently. I'm not sure if he is one of my more eager successors, but I'd like him to end this tomfoolery immediately," L said curtly.
"Well, I'll see what I can do. Remember, though, he might just be wondering what his possible future position will be like. What's his appearance?"
"He…actually, now that I think about it, he's somewhat like me, appearance-wise. Choppy black hair, deep-sunk black eyes, pale skin…" (How odd…I'm almost ninety-five percent sure I would remember someone from the training facilities who looks like me…)
Watari did not answer. He sipped his green tea nervously and his bespectacled eyes bounced from a painted window, a ceiling-tall bookshelf, and back to the window again.
L gazed at him expectantly.
"Actually…L..."
"Yes? Who is this child?"
"We have no children with that description in the mafia."
And that was the end of that conversation.
April 4, 20:00
"Why the sudden invitation, Watari?"
The tea room was reserved for important meetings and empowered guests, and the blonde teenager sitting in a black marble chair in front of the ivory table knew this fact very well. 'Important meeting' would've covered the after effect of his plan perfectly, but, just for believability's sake, he would act surprised.
"Well, dear child, there seems to be a…predicament, if you will."
"What is it? It's not L, is it…?"
The boy leaned forward, a cruel grin threatening to foil his extensive planning.
Watari sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"It is indeed L. I've been watching him for a while now and I've concluded that a mixture of insomnia, stress, and previous undetected mental conditions have caused him to hallucinate."
(Perfect, just as I planned.)
"Watari…you can't be suggesting that…"
"Yes. I may be needing a new replacement soon, if his condition worsens. Be prepared to hear the worse."
(Be prepared to witness the breaking of your perfect weapon, Watari.)
The blonde boy nodded sombrely and opened his mouth to speak, but the old black phone in the tea room interrupted his inquiry.
Watari, with whatever graces an eighty-five-year-old could have, stood up and answered the phone.
"Hello? Yes, L…I apologize…would you like me to meet you in your quarters? Immediately? Understood, I'll be there."
Watari turned to the fidgety blonde teenager awaiting the elder man, and sighed, "I'm afraid I have to make my leave now. If you'll excuse me."
(Of course, for L. Always L. Did you know, Watari, that a few scars have mysteriously turned up on my arm? No, why would you? You'd only notice if it was on L's snow white arm. )
The boy nodded, and hopped out of his chair, feigning a future exit. As soon as he heard a door shut, he started laughing somewhat manically. The high pitch sound echoed throughout the large, open spaced, room, bounced off the soundproof walls, and the boy opened his arms to the sky and grinned to the heavens. His wide, cerulean eyes widened even further as he realized the implications of this meeting.
"I can finally be L…!"
But then his laughter ceased along with his thoughts as the most marvellous one entered his ingenious mind:
"No…"
The sixteen-year-old blonde glanced down at his wrist, embroidered with the most beautiful (I think, at least) slightly darkened scars sewn by his own hands.
The beautiful battle wounds from a battle he never thought he would be good enough to turn up the victor. Battle wounds with his elder, the prime of all mafia leaders.
L.
"No…I can finally be A…"
Kitchen, 22:33
Crouching awkwardly on the side of an island counter, a certain blonde haired boy watched Watari sift through various items in the dishwasher, attempting to find a cup to serve L's tea in. L always had a warm cup of tea or coffee before communicating with rivalling gangs or solving internal affairs around that time, for whatever reason. It was sort of ritual, without base. But it did help the successor's plan of creating a lack of leadership he'd easily be able to take control of.
The old man exhaled loudly through his nostrils as he tried his absolute hardest to pour his prodigy's Darjeeling tea without spilling a drop.
A's grip on the small vial in his hand tensed. He'd have to strike as soon as the elderly man turned around.
(Just turn around, dammit, I'm losing circulation…)
And the gods assisted the evil child dubbed 'A' that dark night.
Watari turned around to shuffle through another cabinet for a plate to place the cup on, and A sprung into action.
Silent with quite a few weeks of experience, the blonde popped the lid of the tiny vial and poured a clear, tasteless hallucinogen with no smell into L's drink.
A grinned maliciously as he crouched back into the corner and heard the clink of a cup being picked up swiftly and being placed on a glass surface. The grin split his face in two as he heard footsteps fade away. But just as quickly as it arrived, the smile left, and a bored, smug expression replaced it.
It was just another normal evening of his routinely drugging the world's greatest mafia leader, just another step closer to becoming the world's greatest mafia leader himself.
Kira's Headquarters, Torture Chambers, April 5, 14:00
Ray Penber was undeniably nervous. L Himself taught Penber how to behave when he was taken hostage by an opposing force, but he was still unsure he could make it out of a hostage situation where he was taken hostage by L's only adversary; the gang lead by the infamous Kira.
Was his fiancée, Naomi Misora, confused right now? Was she wondering why he hadn't come back from a simple information retrieval mission? Was L shaking his head in contempt, praying (though he believed in no God) that Penber had remembered his hostage training?
But out of all the thoughts pestering him, one bothered him most:
Was the man who was unquestionably going to torture him for information Kira's iniquitous 'B'?
At the chilling thought, Penber futilely made an effort to break free of the restrains binding his arms and legs, however they were obviously made to hold hospital (maybe asylum?) patients down and were too sturdy for a weakened man to tear out of.
In an attempt to assess the situation he was in, Ray examined the torture chamber: a few light bulbs hung lamely from a darkened wooden ceiling, and the only industrial touches to the room were the metal chair he was strapped to and a matching metal wall with a number of tools strapped to it, opposite a metal door.
(I have to get out of here alive. L is counting on it. Naomi is waiting.)
And just as the mere will entered his buzzing mind, the metal door slammed open, causing the few light bulbs cords' to spring upwards and Ray to make a pathetic jumping motion due to his binds.
(My torturer seems to have arrived…)
Kira's Main Quarters, Twenty minutes earlier
"B, I need to ask you something."
The raven haired man scowled. His boss's chair was turned away from him yet again; it was facing the open windows, allowing blinding sunlight to further dim the colours of the already-dimly coloured room. It was impossible for B to read his name or numbers, and for a while B wondered if he intentionally faced away from him.
"Anything," he said sarcastically, clenching his teeth.
"Beyond…you used to be L's successor, did you not?" Kira asked, purposely or accidentally allowing his sarcasm to slip.
"Yes," B murmured, memories of being simply an imperfect backup threatening to snap his fragile mask.
"Well then, why is it that I have to torture high-ranking officials from L's gang to find information about him?"
Beyond bit his tongue, refraining from correcting his boss; B himself always tortured them, never, ever Kira. "I'm not sure, Kira."
"Neither am I. Even when we torture L's officials we never get any useful information. He trained them well."
B's fist clenched, and he bit his tongue 'till he savoured the comforting taste of copper. Silence ensued the conversation of the men.
"Don't answer that. It's alright Beyond. I had Mikami kidnap L's hit man. He has a fiancée, apparently, and so much to live for. Hopefully he'll succumb to your failed torture methods-"
"THEY'RE NOT FAILED!" B roared, slamming his hands on the polished wooden desk that was Kira's. "I'm not failed."
A moment of silence passed again. All that was heard were the joyous birds chirping ironically outside an open window and Beyond's heavy breathing.
Kira drummed his hands on his velvet chair's wooden hand.
"Goodbye, Beyond."
Beyond stormed out of the room, but as he opened heavy doors, he heard Kira's ending remark; the most infuriating one so far.
"B."
Said man turned his head at an angle, eyes narrowed.
"Fuck Misa sometime. She's with this gang for a reason. You could use a little less stress in your life."
A man with neck-length choppy black hair stood in the doorway, hand on the opened door as if he needed it for support. The light seeping in from the hallway outlined his lean figure. Slowly, the man peered up, revealing a snarling face and the angriest scarlet eyes.
"Penber, you will tell me about L!"
And right then and there, Penber was positive the monster blocking his only exit was B.
LA: I had the hardest time deciding if A or B should be the one after L's position, and I hope I made the right decision. Seriously, I was beating myself up over it. –sigh—This is what happens when you have a Fanfiction Obsession Disorder.
Once this FF is completely over (and it won't be for a while), as in all 384729 chapters are complete, then I may make an "opposite" story where B is after L's position, but A won't be Kira's torturer. You'll just have to wait and see who he is. I mean, I could start putting up chapters for that story now, but I would confuse myself.
This chapter was sort of like a prologue, by the way. Next chapter, things will really get moving.
Drop a review, they motivate me.
LA out!