This is where things got a little harder to complete.
Technicalities started getting in the way, school started slowing me down, and my mind just started to have trouble with thinking about exactly what I wanted to happen and what would happen.
I was attempting to stay into character to the best that I could while putting L in a romantic situation, seeing as there's nothing like it in the series. So...I tried. :)
And I apologize for the few details concerning the resolution of the Kira case.
As much as it saddened and irritated me, a lot of how it progressed made a lot of sense, so it was a bit of a challenge to make it go the way I wanted it to. That's why some of the details are vague. I hope it's all still sensible enough to be enjoyable and doesn't take away from the core of this story that branched out and grew way more than I thought it would at the start. Use your imaginations, I guess. *grins*
So that basically conveys my likes and dislikes of this piece.
I hope you all enjoy it – and I'd love to hear what you think. I'm looking to improve my writing as well as to get some encouragement to keep doing what I love, so all comments are appreciated! :3
Thanks again!
Disclaimer: Death Note and L belong to Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba.
Safe and Warm
Chapter 2
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"...It was certainly a case that I'll never forget... You recall the basics and details we'd gathered up until a month ago, correct?" he asked, peering at me through the shadowing fringe of his black hair, his tone taking on a usual, rather-monotonous, business-like quality that I recognized well from when we would discuss cases for hours in the past.
"Kira was able to cause deaths by heart attack without being present at the murder scenes unless he so chose. He could control a victim's time of death as well as their actions leading up to it. The death of twelve FBI agents pointed to the suspects they were investigating, and eventually Raye Penber's suspects became the most likely after his death and his fiancé's disappearance. That made the Deputy Director and the Superintendent and their families the most likely suspects, seeing as Kira had to have access to classified information. If I'm remembering correctly, Light Yagami was the main suspect that you were investigating, he and a young pop idol named Misa Amane. Misa had been connected with the Kira videotapes sent to Sakura TV, revealing her possible connection to the Second Kira, and the evidence just kept stacking up against Light as the First... You figured out that the two Kiras had met, had brought in Light and Misa for questioning, and then they had drastic alterations in their behavior during their confinement. Light's father Soichiro acted in a situation that should have revealed if the two were the First and Second Kira, though they failed to reveal anything concrete for conviction. It seemed incredibly obvious that Light was Kira, though he denied all accusations, as did miss Amane, and then our communications became less frequent after the possibility of the Yotsuba Group being involved as the next Kira arose..." I recapped quickly with the details I remembered, eager to learn what had become of it all. L shifted slightly, pulling his knees more securely against his chest and modifying any disturbances in his balance. He pressed his thumb to his bottom lip before continuing.
"...Light and I worked with the rest of the Investigation Team, some of which had been forced to lose their respected titles of employment to continue to pursue Kira when the NPA had announced its repeal from the investigation, and pursued our lead in Yotsuba. Wedy and Aiber assisted us accordingly and effectively applied my title as Eraldo Coil to help divert Yotsuba's focus away from killing the heads of competing companies as well as to infiltrate the secure interior of the head building itself as well as some of the CEO's homes. With Misa's unexpected and daring assistance, we obtained definitive reason to suspect Higuchi. We then positioned Wedy's attention to properly placing spy cameras and wire taps in each of his vehicles and used Matsuda and Sakura TV to deceive Higuchi into thinking we knew that he was Kira and were planning on announcing it at the end of a false televised program. We were able to predict his movements and head him off when he attempted to kill Matsuda." I recalled the TV broadcast, remembering how it had ended without revealing who Kira really was despite all of the build up and reassurance. It made sense now, that Sakura TV would be believed to stoop that low and that L would have found a way to use it to his advantage. I pulled the cake closer and engulfed a large piece, watching him and listening closely as he continued. His tone of voice had changed slightly, become more wondering and incredulous.
"...When we apprehended Higuchi, he finally revealed Kira's killing method to us..." There was a short pause in which I noticed his black eyes swirl with thoughts.
"...A notebook. A collection of simple lined pages bound in black leather with the word Death Note scrawled across the cover... Upon touching the notebook, we were able to see a strange white creature, the God of death that Kira had taunted me with at the start of the case... A shinigami..." I found my cake slightly difficult to swallow, almost choking on it when he whispered the word.
"What? They exist?" I asked in disbelief, my brow furrowing in confusion. Surely not... But he met my gaze, his eyes seeming to be blacker, as if he too could hardly believe what he had seen himself, as if it was often a torment for his rational and logical mind to attempt to believe something so super-naturally spectacular.
I believed him. With that simple, haunting look, I believed him.
After the arrival of the shinigami to this tale of wild life and violent death, it became increasingly difficult to comprehend. I had to keep eating the cake to keep the weight of sleep away and keep the awareness contained within my brain to keep up with his explanations. The Death Note was the murder weapon of hundreds upon hundreds of people, not all of which were criminals. The First and Second Kira had neared their victory – Higuchi had been killed at the scene and the rules to the notebook had been found written upon its first few pages, as well as two very decisive ones upon the back, one that prevented the notebook from being destroyed and another that cleared them of all charges...if it was true. But who would defy the alleged "god of a new world without criminals" when the boundaries beyond what was known and accepted as reality were so clearly surpassed? Who could stand up against two gods of death and the murderous work they were observing by the hands – the pens – of two humans who had been given the terrible, cursing power to kill with such dreadful ease?
No one else but L.
He never backed down. He never gave up. And in the end, as sure as he was sitting before me now, he was victorious. The death gods' loyalties had been fickle and rather indifferent. The Second Kira had been pliable and predictable. And Kira's arrogance and greed had taken wing to transform him into a blood-red creature that no longer wanted the betterment of the world as he knew it, but instead wanted all of his obstacles removed, wanted his way to be the only way, wanted power and influence and wealth – wanted to be a god.
And in the end, that was his downfall.
He lost sight of his true goal and made a mistake – a mistake that L was right there to catch.
With an altering of pages of the Death Note, a well-executed performance to initiate a certain response, and the dedication of all who opposed Kira and his will of terrorism, he was defeated, he and his pawns and his notebook of death. Misa Amane was the Second Kira...and Light Yagami was Kira. I hadn't been expecting any sort of personal opinion from L concerning the young man who had struck fear into the hearts of the entire population and effectively stopped those that he saw fit from beating, but he surprised me, pausing in his description of the bitter end to tell me of how he personally felt about what had happened.
"In the end, I had never been wrong in suspecting Light Yagami... but still, he had shown such promise when we'd been investigating Yotsuba together. Of course, I know now that it was simply another of Kira's intricate schemes to achieve his childishly-minded goals, but the fact still remains that he would have made an excellent detective. His deductive skills were remarkable and I'd always thought so. It's rather sorrowful and disappointing that he'd succumbed to the temptation of the Death Note and had taken such a ruinous road in life... I wish him as well as justice can allow for him for the remainder of his life, however long or short it may be..." His voice was soft and slow, his tone so deep in thought that it seemed unable to tangibly express any one emotion at the moment, but I heard the truth in his voice, and I felt sorry for Light Yagami too.
He was apprehended by the Japanese police force on this day, just three hours ago, and was severely-contained in a high-security facility that few other than L and Watari knew the location of. His sentence was currently a lifetime in prison – for the moment. To be safe, the courts and organizations of peace and law and order and justice all around the world had accepted a temporary verdict to keep him contained while they carefully and precisely debated about what to do with this mass murderer known as Kira. His fate was not yet decided, but all I could currently and truly care about was L.
I'd never been so relieved to be sitting beside him, staring at his pensive face as he too reflected on the events that had come so very close to taking his life. My tears had even begun to fall again as I reached out and threw my arms around him, hugging him close and making him grunt softly in surprise at my suddenly-fervent desire to be even closer to him and the rather unexpected strength in my arms. Our chairs almost toppled over together. He managed to maintain his balance and was quick to return my embrace, silently sharing a moment of utter, heart-wrenching gratitude and relief with me at how fortunate we were to still have each other. I shuddered against his shoulder, enclosed safely and warmly and tightly within his arms, his head resting atop mine, his fingers moving soothingly against my back. We didn't speak immediately, simply held each other for a period of time that grew more and more peaceful as it carried on. The solid assurance of being together now embraced us, overshadowing the previous fear and danger of the Kira case that had almost torn us apart.
And that was enough for me.
The moment I had thought should have been pleasant but wasn't without him hours earlier, when I was lying warm and full of sugary sweets upon the couch, was now utterly and completely fulfilled. I needed no blanket, for I had him, his arms wrapped around me and enclosing me in the heart-warming feel of a truly loving embrace, my stomach filled with the greatest cake I'd ever had the absolute pleasure of devouring with the man I loved, his firm but comfortable shoulder supporting my head better than any pillow ever could. His soft, rhythmic breathing became a sort of lullaby, my eyelids beginning to grow heavier as the night continued to become the morning. This was how it should be. This was my sanctuary, my cloud nine, my happy place...my L.
I smiled as sleep continued to try to claim me its softly-sighing and oh-so-willing prisoner. I didn't want to miss a moment of my time with L, knowing that there really was no guarantee that it would be continuously permanent, but my body wouldn't be denied the necessity of rest any longer. I began to doze off in his arms, my eyes closing and shrouding my world in blackness temporarily before I would realize that I'd fallen asleep and would immediately try to awaken once again, my eyelids fluttering weakly as I tried my hardest to keep them open. The large plate that our delightfully delicious cake had proudly resided less than an hour before was now bare except for a few rich, fudgy smears and a speckling of mahogany crumbs. I could find no sort of sugary awakening from the remnants of our celebratory treat – and I continued to sink into slumber, being too tired to attempt to hunt down yet another of the many sweets located in various places throughout our home.
I began to lose track of when I was awake and when I was asleep, but I became aware of the surface I was reclining against moving after a moment, a hushed moan of protest rising from my throat, my response slow with my lethargy. Though my eyes were closed, I was able to make an accurate estimation of what was happening around me. L held me close and supported my head as he shifted smoothly in his seat, sitting back in his chair and uncurling his legs, lowering his feet to the floor.
"Come this way," I heard him whisper softly in my ear, his voice seeming to waft melodiously throughout the heavy, dreamlike fog within my mind, washing softly across my senses like a sluggish dousing of clear, sparkling, sun-heated water. It slipped sinuously between the realms of my reality and my dreams, making it even more wondrous than usual, seeing as it wrapped around me like a warm blanket, caressing every inch of my flesh, exciting shivering heats and trembling chills all throughout my body. I could almost taste it on my tongue as if it were a decadent drizzle of melting chocolate.
"Mmm..." I murmured in deep, dreamy pleasure, leaning against him for support as my brain's transmissions to the many motion-responsible nerve endings in my partially-unresponsive body were further slowed with my lack of sleep. I thought I heard him chuckle quietly, though I wasn't in any way certain. All I knew was that, whether he had just made the sound or not, I'd heard it before and I'd hear it again, and it was positively beautiful. A blissful, sleepy smile curled my lips, my head lolling weakly and willingly against his hunched shoulder, nestled partially within the crook of his neck, his bare skin warm and welcome against mine. His arm curled around my back, his long, pale fingers closing softly around my left shoulder as he carefully led me through the dimly-lit room. The television was still flickering, and I registered the variations in the light against my closed eyelids to a certain degree to realize that L was heading toward the couch that I had almost fallen asleep on a few hours earlier.
My footsteps were rather stumbling, but I remained upright as we continued toward our destination, his movements emitting no senses of urgency or desperation – he was calm and collected like always. He didn't force me along despite my slow pace, seemed simply as content to be beside me as I was to be beside him. I was not too tired to get a lovely wave of delight through my mind and body at that thought. Eventually, I felt him stop walking, knowing that we had reached the couch and that I had only to figure out where it was in relation to my current position and then however short of an amount of decent sleep could be mine. True, there was a bed in the other room, but that simply seemed to be too far away for me in my currently-sleepy state. I slumped slightly where I was standing, searching blindly and lazily around me until I felt the cool edge of the couch against my fingertips, just behind me. Sighing with relief at my discovery, I slowly lowered myself until I felt the comfortable cushions rise up to meet me, easily supporting me as I settled rather heavily and thoughtlessly upon them.
Though I sat still for a moment, I felt L's grip on my shoulders shift as he got onto the couch slightly behind me, off to my left, his bare feet making soft sliding noises upon the cool black leather. I felt his knee trail against my back as he settled into his usual and remarkably-balanced crouch, his baggy jeans rubbing quietly against the fabric of my shirt, ruffling it ever so slightly and unconsciously causing a small portion of my side to become exposed, the cool air resulting from his movements making goosebumps appear on my skin. Though sleep was tightening its grip upon me with every passing moment, I was not unaware of how his touch made me shiver.
My lips curled into a smile as I slowly opened my eyes and looked first at the hand that still resided warmly upon my shoulder and then back at him. The flickering light of the television was really the only source of pale illumination in the room, as it was only a few hours ago, and it cast his face in inconsistent, fickle shadows. It trailed across his cheek bones, deepened the smooth blackness beneath his dark, devoted eyes and accentuated the gently curving shape of his appealing lips, which were currently curled into a small, savoring smile. It poured through his spastic hair, from the silken, glistening outward strands to the soft, raven-colored ones beneath, and settled sleepily into the wrinkled folds of his clothing – as I admittedly wished to do. It was a truly lovely sight, as if he were a subtle yet stunning black and white painting, so still and silent and yet so powerful.
Our gazes stayed linked for a moment, neither of us finding the will or the reason to look away.
His eyes stared deeply into mine, pouring a delicious and fluttering warmth into me like they so often did before, causing my heartbeat to quicken and my body temperature to rise ever so slightly. My intelligent mind whirred to try to identify all of my feelings and emotions and vivid responses. It was not an anxious or a frantic search, simply pleasantly curious... I was so full at that moment, as I had been upon his glorious return to me and up until this point, and would be what felt like an eternity after. With him I felt safe and warm and wanted, and I wished to always feel that way. I wished to always be with him.
Against the threatening, hostile odds of the Kira case, he had returned to me.
Our bond hadn't been broken.
Our love had prevailed, as justice had, no matter what.
And with that realization that we were both undeniably aware of, I felt like I was one step closer to always having him as my own and always being his in return. My heart seemed to swell even more, the torrent of flowing happiness and love within me washing even faster into joyous rapids that swept me up and carried me away. Staring into the swirling, glimmering, endless depths of his warm black eyes and reveling in the sight of his charming smile, I saw his own delight and pleasure and knew he felt the same. My bottom lip trembled as the barest beginnings of joyous tears once again began to rise into quiet existence. He used the hand that was delicately resting atop my shoulder to softly but surely pull me backwards toward him until I contacted his folded knees, more-than-willingly leaning against him after he'd disturbed my already-sleep-reduced balance, my heartbeat quickening suddenly as a result of our unexpectedly-close proximity. His other arm curled sinuously around the front of my shoulders and across my collar, holding me close to him. The embrace was warm and wonderful, making me turn more comfortably into his legs and settle more deeply into the safe enclosure of his arms. He lowered his head to mine, his ragged black hair brushing softly across my skin, his closeness allowing me to feel his breath as it softly caressed my face, smelling of sweets that made me smile. The warmth of our bodies danced slowly between us as our skin and clothing continued to be in contact with each other's. The silence closed in around us, the television flickering aimlessly, a bubble of bliss and euphoria settling around the two of us, enclosing us in our own little world where no evils and no Kiras could touch us...
Unexpectedly, his arms tightened around me and his fingertips, with gentleness and yet purposeful determination, lifted my face to his. I opened my eyes, having closed them in the state of sleepy bliss I'd been in a moment or so ago, and I met his gaze, his black eyes almost surprisingly expressive, burning into mine through the obscuring, shadowed fringe of his dark hair that hung around and in front of his face. My heart stuttered at his intensity, my breath hitching ever so slightly in my throat.
"...Here and now, I promise you...no matter what opposition any case may pose in the future, I will try my absolute hardest to return to you...I will do all in my power as a human being and as L...no matter what..." he murmured to me in a slow, roiling storm of passionate intensity that succeeded in taking my breath away completely. Wide-eyed, I stared at him, a small part of me rather incomprehensible to his suddenly-smoldering words, such devotion and promise etched hotly into every syllable. He meant it – I had never believed him more than I did at that moment.
"...I am undeniably aware of the likelihood that I will die because of some aspect of my occupation, but you've made remaining alive a more promising, meaningful, and amazing prospect than I could have ever imagined before encountering you... I promise I won't let that slip away, with all that I have within me...I promise..." His voice faded into a whisper that I thought would haunt my dreams. My heart pounded in my throat, denying me the ability to respond to him quickly, to pour out my heart in my own promises of devotion and dedication and determination as he so gloriously had. I searched my brain for phrases, words, letters, anything to say to him at the moment. He'd caught me so off guard, the only response I was able to conjure felt much-less meaningful than his earlier words, but still, it was something, and I meant it with everything I was and everything I had.
"I love you, L...and I promise to always be here when you return..." I said softly, staring imploringly at him and hoping that my words meant as much to him as his had meant to me... I felt rather verbally-inferior, but his response assured me that that was not so. I saw a change overcome his previously-unshakable countenance, a sort of awed surprise and wonder like what I felt had been upon my face earlier. It warmed my heart that words I'd spoken could lead to such a beautiful expression. It was wonderful that I was capable of telling him just how much I loved him and how very much he meant to me, even if I felt that my grasp of words at the time hadn't been the best.
Even so, he didn't seem to mind.
His long, wiry arms curled tighter around me, drawing me closer into an embrace that allowed a mutual understanding to pass between us that no more words were needed. I wrapped my arms around him, returning his affectionate contact and allowing my admittedly-tired eyes to close as I settled comfortably against him, willingly sinking into his warmth and softness and strength with pure delight. With all that needed to be said now conveyed, my body refused to accept any more reasons to stay completely awake. The darkness flickered in and out of being in my mind. One minute, I was listening to the sound of his rhythmic, melodious breathing and the next I was finding myself suddenly hearing it again as I'd woken up, unaware that I'd ever stopped listening or being totally aware of him as he hadn't ceased to breathe. I began to dose off again repeatedly, shifting occasionally in L's arms with my struggles to remain conscious, but he soon realized that I should not have been fighting my sleep-deprived body's pitiful wails for slumber.
He held me closer, making my heartbeat quicken as he wrapped an arm around my back and curved the other around my legs. My skin prickled rather lazily with feeling as he shifted me gently, his legs moving beneath me as he uncurled them and carried my drowsy form until he was able to place me in a properly-reclined position upon the smooth leather of the couch. Lying upon my back, I was able to gaze up at him and see him staring adoringly down at me, my heart fluttering gleefully in response. I was cold when I wasn't close beside him and would've protested vehemently to him changing my location if he hadn't moved to join me in lying down. He reclined beside me, rolling onto his side with a uniquely odd grace that seemed to be exclusive to his ability to move and wrapping his arms around me once more, his leg smoothly maneuvering its way between mine.
As my heartbeat quickened in response to our close proximity, my body was effectively warmer than I'd been before. His observant black eyes noticed the slight blush that colored my cheeks, and he gently trailed a finger down the side of my face in response, feeling the warmth he evoked in me with a blissful and beautiful expression. I couldn't help but smile at him. He smiled at me in return, chuckling softly into the glimmering dark. The sound settled around me like a warm, fluffy blanket. The elements of the evening were really stacking against me staying awake, but I was becoming so comfortable that my resistance to sleep was slowly ebbing away.
I snuggled closer to L and his arms tightened around me in response, his face nestled gently in the crook of my neck, his pale hand softly enclosing mine. His breath brushed quietly across the left side of my jaw, like a loving angel's heavenly caress. Fringes of dreams started to form at the edge of my mind, filled with whispered words and plump strawberries and luscious lips and sparkling grains of sugar. Delicious. The word made me smile. My heavy eyelids began to close, gaining twenty pounds every time I attempted to force them open again. My consciousness temporarily returned when I felt L shift behind me, releasing my hand for a moment and leaning for something behind my head. I glanced back at him as he settled closely against me once again, whatever he was reaching for obviously retrieved. I realized what it was when he extended his arm over my shoulder toward the television in front of us, holding the remote delicately between his thumb and forefinger and pressing the off button. The room became completely dark in an instant. I heard him drop the remote somewhere, maybe on the floor, and then his arm wrapped around me again.
The feel of him changed when I had less of a visual ability to see him, the touches taking on a different warmth in my awareness as I was deprived of other means of receiving them with my sense of sight. I registered the feel of the fabrics of our clothing pressed against each other, drank in the feel of his warmth and the softness of his skin in a wonderfully more-tangible way. Tiny, minute electrical pulses sparked in each of my pores at our proximity in the blackness. The absence of the television brought on a whole different perspective in the room. The first hints of daylight were just beginning to brighten the world outside, the world that was waking up and continuing on no matter what. The curtains made it so it wasn't problematic as I continued to fall asleep – although I felt I was tired enough that I could've fallen asleep with a floodlight blaring in my face... My hand was warm within his, his arms enclosing me in a sense of wonderful belonging that only he could bestow upon me. I felt him shift after a moment and press a soft kiss into my throat, making a smile of dreamy pleasure curl my lips as I sighed deeply in response. His voice spoke to me from darkness, both inside and outside of my mind.
"Good morning, my love," he murmured in a whisper.
"Mmhmm..." was all I managed to reply with aloud, though I was sure he knew that I'd meant something along the lines of It is certainly a good morning now that I'm with you. And that was certainly the truth. It was more than a good morning with him – it was wonderful. I hoped beyond hope that it was one more morning after a series of lovely beginnings of days passed and only one of many of those still to come with him.
I was safe, warm, and loved.
My L was safe and warm and loved with me.
And that was all I could ask for as I blissfully sank with him into the dark.
--
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Well, that pretty much concludes this random bout of fan-girly fluffiness that was an absolute joy to write.
A round of applause for my delicious little L. :3
It was a little difficult to get it to end in a way that I liked after it started to grow and include many more details than I'd ever expected it to when I began, but I think, all things considered, this not-so-little story turned out satisfactory after all.
Though I can't deny I'm glad to be done with it. :)
I have one more surprise for you all, which I'll get posted as soon as I can.
I also have another story set in the Death-Note universe that I should be able to complete soon as well.
(Though, with how huge this one got, I'm not sure how much my speedy-update word counts for anymore.)
Then Tropical Torment shall return.
Thank you all, so very much, yet again!
You readers and writers and reviewers all help to make posting these things so very worth it!
Reviews are my fuel, so please let me know what you think, be it praise or criticism.
Again, many thanks and lots of love! – and a whipped-cream-y strawberry if you're interested. ;)
~SD
