CHAPTER TWO

"Stop!" Light's voice could barely be heard over the roaring wind. The man whipped around just in time to see Light tackling him to the ground. The two wrestled, Light getting elbowed in the face, then retaliating by giving the man a swift kick in the gut. The guy was stronger than Light originally anticipated, though, and easily shoved Light to the ground and pinned him there.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He man spat, glaring down at the Japanese teen. Light's struggles were futile. He glowered at the skinny form above him.

"I was saving your life," Light avowed. "You almost jumped off the cliff!" He stared into the wide, black eyes of the stranger, and a wash of familiarity hit him. He couldn't pinpoint where, but he was sure he'd at least seen this guy before.

He raven-haired man sighed and slowly got off of Light. He stood up, dusted dirt off his ripped jeans, then offered a hand to the student as a way to help him off the ground. Light took the hand and yanked the man down to the ground. Light wasted no time straddling the guy and pinning down his arms.

"Why were you going to jump?" He questioned. The man just flashed him a small smile.

"How do you know I was going to jump?"

"You had your arms spread out, eyes closed," Light said, impatient. "It was obvious you were going to end your life."

"And why, pray tell, did you need to stop me?" The man smirked, as if he'd discovered a secret Light could only dream of knowing. Light frowned.

"I'll happily watch you jump after you tell me what lead you to attempt suicide," he said in a steady voice. Light would not let this guy kill himself, of course. He was curious about what this stranger had going on in his life. It must be pretty awful if he'd rather die than face his issues.

"Yagami Light," the man said, still looking at Light with his unusual eyes. "You're Chief Yagami's son. He's head of the investigation team on the serial killings here in L.A." A pause. "Your parents are originally from Japan, then moved to New York for a case. They had you and, a few years later, a daughter. You try to stay with your Japanese culture as much as possible. Your mother and sister were killed in a freak bus accident, and now you and your father are here in California." Light paled. How'd this guy know so much about him? Light didn't know anything about the man underneath him. The British man took Light's confusion as a chance to change rolls and reverse their positions. He sat on top of Light once again and smiled triumphantly.

Light stared at him in amazement. He realized he could hear his own heart beating; the storm had passed. "How did you know that?" His voice was barely over a whisper. The man just smirked.

"I can read newspapers, you know." He said. "There was a story about your father coming here to investigate the serial killings. All the information I just revealed to you was in the article." Light frowned, feeling foolish.

"How come you know so much about me and I know nothing about you?" Light demanded.

"You can call me L," the man said, getting off of Light and helping the college freshman up.

Light thought that was a funny name, though he really had no right to judge anyone.

"All right, L," Light began. "Are you in University?"

L shook his head, water drops dripping off his messy hair. "I was," he said. "But I dropped out to move on to better things."

"Like…?" Light prompted. He wasn't one that liked having secrets kept from him, nor did he enjoy beating around the bush.

L just chuckled. "My boyfriend wanted me home more," he started. Light frowned a bit. He wasn't homophobic, but he wasn't used to being associated with gay people. Hearing L admit his sexuality so freely made Light think of Misa for a just a moment. "And I wanted to be able to spend more time at the orphanage where I volunteer." Something about L's quick glance at the ground made Light suspect that L was hiding more details, but he didn't question it.

"What's your occupation?" Light asked L looking over at the man. Light was slightly taller than L, but he suspected that was because L slouched a bit.

L looked a little embarrassed. "Well... I'm currently unemployed, but I'd love to be a detective." He admitted. Light grinned.

"That's what I want to be, too!" His eyes lit up. "I want to catch all the criminals and lock them up. Serve justice!" How ironic, considering that Light was a criminal in his past.

"Maybe we can work together one day," L said, though he was mostly joking. He assumed he'd never see Yagami Light ever again. Light nodded in agreement, though he was sure that'd never happen. "Do you have access to a lot of information?" L asked Light. "Since, you know, your dad leads the case."

"My father doesn't share the information with anyone outside of task force, including his own kin." Light felt angry suddenly. "But maybe I can convince him otherwise."

L nodded and stared off into the dark horizon, seemingly in a trance. He chewed on his thumbnail thoughtlessly. Light looked at the young man for a few seconds, mentally tracing his profile and memorizing every line.

"I should get home," he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Yes," L agreed. "That would be best." He looked at Light. "Fairwell, Light-kun. Until next time?"

Light smiled a bit and nodded. "Until next time." He turned around to leave, but froze. "Hey, L?"

"Yes?" L continued staring in the distance.

"Why'd you almost jump?" Light asked. He remembered what L had said about his boyfriend, his dream career, and his attachment to the orphanage. It seemed like L had a lot to live for. Why end it now?

L was quiet for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "I was never going to," he concluded. "I heard you coming and was curious to see what you'd do."

Light reproached at the comment. "It was a test?" He demanded.

"Yes," L stayed calm. "And you passed."

Light started walking away without saying another word. He walked back through the forest and thought of L. He concluded that he should have let L jump off the edge, after all.

A/N: This is a pretty short chapter, more of a filler to get information said and done. Chapter 3 is being edited and 4 is being written though! Hope you enjoy!