A/N: Hello! Yes, I'm updating early. Leave me alone. I finished the chapter and wanted to get it up. So, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one. Almost double. Actually, I believe it is double. Wow.

This chapter I was listening to Tell Me Why - Jakalope and The Good Left Undone - Rise Against. Recommended. Mm. Well, shall we proceed?

Chapter 2
Nightmarish Outcomes

Raito felt oddly restricted as his mind drifted from sleep into the waking world. He didn't quite know why, but as he blurrily opened his eyes, he soon realized Fate was not on his side this morning. He noticed that his arm was stretched at an odd angle above his head, reaching towards the headboard, and his other arm was pinned rather uncomfortably beneath him. His shoulders felt somewhat cramped and his neck was screaming profanities at him, he was sure.

Grunting, he tried to turn over, to relieve the pressure of the arm beneath him. However, what he didn't expect was another voice to join his rather awkward aerobics that morning.

"I'd rather you not start fidgeting, Raito-kun. That could cause grave inconveniences."

Raito craned his neck around, looking past the oddly angled arm to see behind him and was met by pair of silver eyes. They regarded him with calculated precision and a smothered fury. Raito moved his eyes away from the intriguing grey and up his arm to see exactly what predicament he was in.

Somehow, he had managed to wrap the chain around the headboard's main part, and in the process, his free hand had been caught up within the chain, forcing his arm into that odd position. The chain had come around the headboard and wrapped itself around L, pinning his chained hand to the headboard, and his body to the bed. And to complete the chains odyssey, it had been wrapped once around Raito's body and had tangled itself in order to pin his arm beneath him. All in all, it wasn't a pleasant experience to wake up to.

He had also successfully rooted L from his hiding place amongst his blanket fort. The blankets were strewn over their legs; tangled amongst their bodies. Two pillows had found their way beneath L's back and bottom, arching him off the bed and Raito felt his mind meander off to a gutter he would rather it not play in. Yanking it back to the situation at hand, he tried to ascertain how he got in this predicament whilst keeping his eyes off the way L's shirt had pulled away from his jeans. Of course, this would have been much easier if Raito hadn't already been facing L and his half-naked body.

"How –"

L shifted and Raito gritted his teeth, feeling the chain bite into his back. L answered, "I can usually manoeuvre around your fidgeting form during the night, but I happened to be tired as well. With that in mind, I could not stop you from attacking everything in sight, including myself."

Raito sighed, and again tried to move his unchained hand. If he just managed to get some leverage, he would be able to sort out this mess. "Well, now you can't blame me for wanting a little rest."

"Actually, I can blame you quite thoroughly. If you did not thrash around so erratically in your sleep, Raito-kun, I wouldn't currently be in this situation, and the team downstairs wouldn't be questioning as to what we are doing in this room so late."

Raito felt his cheeks burn, and tried to ignore the fact that his mind was again ambling towards that very real gutter. L shifted, drawing his shirt up more, and Raito tried – he truly did – to keep his gaze from watching, but it was damn hard when the detective wouldn't stop fidgeting! Breaking his gaze from the hem of L's shirt – and everything that had been revealed thus far – he forced himself to concentrate on the chain.

Just concentrate on the chain, and not the fact that you just had very un-Raito like notions about your rival, he thought, his hand flipping around like a fish out of water. He was getting nowhere like this. He breathed through his nose, emptying his mind and finally managed to twirl his fingers into a respectful position to work on the knot. L again shifted, dragging the chain across Raito's back, but stopped in shocked surprise when Raito cried out in pain.

"God damn it! Don't do that," he hissed, rotating his neck enough to get a look at his back. He realized that his own shirt had been pulled up enough that the links were now bare against his skin, and were imprinting their angry marks into his back. L stared at the lacerations in wide eyed fascination and then met Raito's eyes. He cowered away from the look that he saw there, and stilled, letting Raito return to his tactics.

Raito went back to his hand. After ten minutes, he finally managed to free his hand, and it collapsed to the bed in limp resignation. Groaning, he curled his fingers and uncurled them, retaining circulation in the limb and then looked back at L.

"Ryuuzaki, there should be enough slack to get the chain away from the headboard. Go ahead," said Raito. L nodded and tugged with his chained hand, sliding the chain links along the polished wood easily now. Another ten minutes passed and finally both of them were free to sit on opposite ends of the bed. Raito lifted his shirt and looked at the bruises already appearing around his torso; large purple and blue contusions that swelled irately around the markings that had been imprinted by his own hand, technically.

"Sorry," came L's soft voice. Raito glanced in his direction and realized the youth was staring at the markings on Raito's body in sorrowful enthralment. He was chewing on his thumbnail again, but his knees weren't up by his chest, and the other hand fiddled absently with the chain between them.

"It wasn't your fault. Completely mine," replied Raito, tugging down his shirt. He got up, and the chain grew taunt between them. Raito looked over his shoulder at the other, waiting for him to rise. "We need to get ready. We've already wasted too much time. Like you said, what will the team be thinking?"

L bit down hard on his thumb, his hair hiding his eyes; his emotions. It dawned on Raito that L had been calling him by his first name again. He hadn't noticed because of their predicament but... He glanced over at the detective, who had risen from the bed and was uncuffing himself. He grabbed his laptop and clicked it on, then turned the computer towards Raito before attaching the cuff to a random piece of furniture.

"Watari, please watch him for me." He turned to Raito, but didn't meet his eyes, only brought his thumbnail to his teeth again. "I'll go first," he said, and left the room.

Raito sighed and sat down on the bed again, putting his head in his hands. It had been like this for the past week. L would go in the shower, leaving him alone with Watari watching his every move, and then asking the old man what Raito had done when he was gone.

But what did it all mean? Why was L using his first name more frequently? Was there something hidden that he wasn't seeing? He needed to think rationally, but damn those bruises hurt. He winced when he took a deep breath, and realized with a sinking feeling what this exactly meant. He – well, they – had a date with Amane Misa today, and she was a leech that refused to let go. With these new wounds, he would be dancing around her like a ballerina on some type of hyped up drug.

Watari broke his thoughts, "Breakfast will be sent for you and Ryuuzaki once your showers are finished. Is there anything specific you wish?"

"No, Watari. I'm fine."

Frustrated, he flopped back on the bed, an arm stretched over his eyes, the chain creaking absently beside him. He could hear the pipes groaning with the pressure of the water and the constant hum of the computer beside him was reassuring. He just needed to relax, that was all. He was wound too tight, and what little sleep he had managed to retain last night would only keep him going for so long. He would have to trick L into sleeping again tonight...

The pipes gave a final groan and he lifted his arm up slightly, glancing over at the bathroom door. His turn was next, and he wasn't exactly thrilled. Raito knew the detective was honourable – well, he hoped – and the shower was behind a wall, curtain and tinted glass. It just bothered him that he couldn't take a shower in peace but L could. He wasn't trusted enough to do something as simple as that? What, was he going to kill off random criminals in the shower stall?

Raito scoffed, and replaced his arm, ignoring the throbbing pain in his chest from the bruises. He would have to ask L to call Watari for some pain killers and plenty of gauze. Misa alone might destroy him today.

The door opened and Raito refused to lift his arm. Let L think he was asleep, or maybe deep in thought. Not like he could go anywhere anyway. Water dripped onto his foot. He refused to show reaction, and waited until L was past him and near the furniture that held the cuff. With a click, he was again linked to the other part of his destiny.

"Yagami-kun, I know you aren't asleep. Your chest is rising too quickly for you to be, and your reaction to the water shows that you're not deep in thought, so there is no need for the charade," said L, jingling the chain links. Raito moved his arm and glared, noting that it was back to 'Yagami-kun'. Why, why, why? What was he missing?

"Thank you, Watari," said L.

"Breakfast will be brought up momentarily. The team is anxious to know why you are late today, Ryuuzaki."

"That will be all for now." L closed the laptop with a snap and fingered the towel on his head, which was doing little to soak up the water that dripped from his onyx hair.

Raito rose and padded his way to the shower, dragging L as if he wasn't there. He heard the short gasp of surprise, but didn't truly care. He was too frustrated to care. He just wanted to stand beneath the spray of the water, and hope that all the cramped muscles and screaming tendons from the morning's nightmare would go down the drain.

Raito didn't acknowledge L's presence, and just gave him a nod when he uncuffed him long enough for him to take off his shirt – he couldn't take off his shirt with the cuff on – then reattaching it and turned away to go behind the wall.

At least Raito was somewhat by himself. He stepped beneath the heated spray and sighed as the tensed muscles went lax. His mind went blank; he didn't need to think for at least ten minutes. But his brain refused to stay silent for the allotted time, and as he wiped the suds from his hair, it thought up all the fun queries and looks that would be thrown his way. His chained hand, which was outside the shower – as the chain was already stretched farther than it should be – jerked, and he wondered just what L was up to. Finishing his shower, he reached out and grasped the towel that hung from the rung, covering himself. Stepping out, he noted that there was another pair of jeans already out for him, and realized that Watari had most likely brought a pair in for him, handed them to L, and the sneaky little bastard had snuck in here to place them on the stool.

He had better have kept his eyes shut. Raito pulled the jeans on and stepped from behind the wall, all the time keeping his glower in place. L was sitting in his usual style on a stool, toes attacking the wood, thumb gliding over his lower lip. His eyes were closed, which was an odd sight, and on his arm was another shirt.

"Watari brought your clothes while you were in the shower, Yagami-kun. I hope this suffices," he said, without opening his eyes. Raito snatched it away from him and held out his arm, the one that was cuffed. L opened his eyes, and uncuffed him, waiting till he was dressed before unfurling himself from the chair and repeating the cuffing process once again.

They left the room soon after, going down eleven floors and onto the main investigation floor. All the while, as the elevator sped its merry way down, Raito's mind ran away on a tangent, coming up with numerous conversations that would fly their way the minute they stepped out.

Surprisingly, no words came their way. Something entirely different did; a flurry of blonde hair and a squeal.

"Raito-kun!"

Pain. Sharp rocketing agony shot through his chest and sweat broke out over his body. Nausea spiralled in his stomach as arms wrapped tightly around his chest, putting pressure on the bruises, making the nerves scream, causing black spots to appear on his vision.

Suddenly, the arms left him in a jerk and he felt a pair of soft hands on his shoulder and chest, holding him up as he gagged. His hands shook, his vision wavered...

Again, he hadn't factored everything in!

What was wrong with him? Was he losing his touch?

The blonde in front of him stared in utter shock. Her blue eyes were wide, and her full lips trembled, hands clasped in an eager position in front of her face. She was wearing red and black today, striped socks coming up mid thigh. Her hair was in semi-pig tails, and if she had more of a brain beneath her hair Raito might have actually liked her, but right now he wanted to throttle her. Why Amane Misa wasn't in her room and down in the investigations office was beyond him.

He glanced over at the person that was holding him and nodded slightly at L, but even that motion caused his head to corkscrew into another bout of dizziness. Raito realized that one of his hands was clamped firmly around L's wrist, and that he was most likely hurting the other youth, but right now he needed someone steady to hold him up, or he would crumple to the floor. He didn't think the bruises would cause this much pain! Maybe he had broken something? No, the chains hadn't been wrapped around the two of them that tightly...and Misa wasn't that strong.

He felt another hand touch his shoulder. Glancing up, he saw his father standing over him, the crinkles at the edge of his eyes obviously showing his worry. Raito was about to respond to his father's gesture, when L jerked him away, back toward the elevator without another word to any of the others around them. The doors closed behind them, and all Raito saw were the teams' shocked faces, mirroring his own.

"What are you doing?" asked Raito, loosening his grasp on the detective's wrist.

"Taking you up to the medical room."

"Why didn't you allow my father to join us?"

L furrowed his eyebrows, as if this simple question truly perplexed him. His back pocket suddenly began ringing some random rock tune and he was spared having to answer. Releasing Raito's shoulder – but keeping one hand against his chest because it was pinned already – he fished it out of his pocket and held it up in his usual manner; two fingers pinching the item as if it were about to bite him or infect him with some communicable disease.

"Hello? Yes...yes I did. No, he didn't do as I asked, but truth be told, I hadn't the chance – Amane-san? Yes, she was there. Yes that is why. Yes. We'll be there soon. Thank-you, Watari," L ended the call with a click of his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. The doors opened moments later and he ushered Raito out, being surprisingly gentle.

The medical room they entered was diminutive, most of the space converted into shelving. Two hospital beds sat side-by-side with a simple white sheet between them for privacy. Watari stood beside one of these beds, his glasses pushed up the bridge of his broad nose. L nodded towards the elderly man and deposited Raito onto the bed, finally disengaging his wrist from the youth's grasp.

Watari went to work, poking and prodding, asking if it hurt. Raito refused to blatantly shout, 'Of course it hurts, or else there wouldn't be inflammation!' L stood beside him, chewing on his nail and watching everything except the procedure. The process was almost complete without incident when the door opened to reveal the entire team, staring intently inside. Needless to say, Raito had his shirt off, and his bruises visible, and the gauze was just being applied.

"Raito! What happened to you?" exclaimed his father, striding to his side. Raito slid his eyes over to L, who was finding his fingernail extremely fascinating at the moment.

"Yagami-kun wouldn't quit his fidgeting, thus it hurt," said L absently. Everyone turned to the detective, and Raito noted the shocked expressions on their faces. Why L had to say it like that, as if they had been doing something aside from catching up on much needed sleep, drove Raito into a frenzy.

"What Ryuuzaki means is whilst sleeping the chain became entangled around me," explained Raito hastily, dropping his arm after Watari finished with the gauze. He shot a glare in L's direction, but truth be told, the other youth seemed to find the expressions on their team's faces much more intriguing than the warning being waved deliberately in his face.

"This chain is a liability and is hindering my son's performance and health. Take it off, Ryuuzaki," said his father, trying to ignore the wad of gauze now wrapped around his son's torso. Raito rolled his eyes and stuck his arm out, waiting for L to uncuff him so he could get dressed.

L didn't move, just stared at the arm outstretched towards him. "Why is everyone here, when Kira is moving about freely?"

At that moment, Raito realized just how much Ryuuzaki was trying to ruin him.

He stuttered and grabbed his shirt, forcing it on one arm, while trying to keep his balance as L dragged him from the room like a disobedient dog. The rest of the team followed shortly after, but again not before the elevator doors closed in their surprised faces.

Raito turned to L, no longer able to keep his patience. "What has you so irked?"

L said nothing, just grabbed the chained hand and unlocked it, allowing Raito to slide his shirt on. Reattaching the chain, L turned back to the elevator doors, obviously miserable about something. His face was stoic, but with extensive hours of 'L watching' Raito had come to recognize that not all of L's emotions could be masked. His eyes betrayed too much, and the way his lips twitched when irritated gave him away. And right now, he was downright depressed.

Raito shifted his weight, looking at L from the corner of his eye. His brain whirled at possibilities, and soon came to the most logical. Last night. He had rattled the usually composed detective with his unbalancing accident. Why hadn't he seen the connection before? He would blame it on sleep or L, like he was getting into the habit of doing.

He watched for the telltale signs that L was truly cantankerous. His lip twitched, and he hid it by lifting his hand to his mouth to chew aggressively on his nail. Raito smirked, and looked up at the lights above the elevator door. They arrived on their floor and stepped out. L made his way to his chair, sitting down roughly and began typing with one hand, keeping the other hand firmly attached to his mouth.

Raito sat down more gracefully, watching his new discovery. With everything that was going on, maybe he should apologize for what happened, and make the detective more comfortable. Wait, come to think of it, when had Raito ever been comfortable in this situation? If anything, he deserved an apology!

"Ryuuzaki, your computer isn't on," drawled Raito, watching with grim satisfaction as the already irate detective bristled at being told something he obviously didn't know. He flicked a hand towards the button and the computer made a feeble beep, signalling that it hadn't enjoyed being typed on while shut down. L waited, his hair hiding the only doorway to his emotions – aside from his twitching lip, which he was trying to mask with his thumb.

He spoke suddenly, drawing Raito's attention, "Yagami-kun, I apologize for dragging you around when you were injured so."

Raito blinked. Had an apology just slipped from L's lips? A look of guilt had fled across L's face before he looked away. Raito felt his eyes soften and nodded slightly, accepting the apology, "Apology accepted."

The elevator door opened before L had a chance to reply, and the team spilled into the investigation room. Misa walked timidly over to Raito, all the while looking like a dejected puppy walking towards a punishment. Her hands fidgeted with her short skirt; her head was down, and there was something in the crook of her elbow. He was horrified to see a fluffy white bunny poking out of the gift bag.

"Raito-kun, Misa is sorry for hurting you. She did not know you would be in pain if she hugged you. So, Misa went and bought you a present!" She thrust the bag into his hands and looked at him with a hopeful expression, begging for praise.

Raito saw L watching the proceedings through a gap in his hair. At least he no longer looked depressed; on the contrary, he looked bemused.

Raito accepted the gift, pulling out the soft rabbit. He nodded towards Misa, and she clapped her hands in delight, making a move towards him. He raised a hand, and she stopped, biting her lip and going back to her disconsolate stare, scuffing her shoe on the tiled floor. Instead, she motioned towards the bag, and Raito dipped his hand in again, coming out with a double box of expensive chocolates.

"Misa hopes that Raito-kun likes chocolates. Misa got them from her manager after she had to fire her," Misa pursued her lips and shot a glance at Matsuda, who was to be her new manager.

"Thank you, Misa," said Raito, not missing the way L's eyes had lit up at the mention of the imported chocolates. Raito could use these as leverage to get some sleep tonight, though he wouldn't mind eating a few before giving them up.

"Amane-san, please return to your room. You are compromising our investigation by hindering Yagami-kun's ability to keep his eyes on the computer," muttered L. He was fidgeting again, and still hadn't detached his thumbnail from between his clenched teeth. Raito raised an eyebrow at the lead detective. No one else seemed to notice the fact that he was agitated, but if this kept up, Raito would be bunking with an exceptionally incensed insomniac.

Misa huffed, crossing her arms and glared menacingly at L. "Raito-kun doesn't want Misa to leave, does he?" she asked, gazing adoringly at Raito. Her object of affection blinked, drawn away from staring at L's twitching cheek.

"Sadly, Misa, we do have plenty of work to catch up on," replied Raito, glancing at the colour-coded pieces of paper sitting beside his computer. He swore they were mocking him. "I'll come visit you in your room later, all right?" He cursed his tongue the minute the words left his lips.

Misa clapped her hands in delight and made another move to hug him. Raito held up his hands, and she was reminded of the pain she had caused him. Sobering, she smiled sweetly at him and walked away, waving at each team member – excluding Ryuuzaki, whom she glared at – before rushing up the stairs.

The day continued with no new events. Raito went to work on the paper, which he eventually began balancing precariously on the edge of his desk just to see how long it would take to fall. Six o'clock came quickly, and the rest of the team stretched and said their good-byes, leaving the two shackled youths alone again.

Raito pushed the stack back onto the desk – it had already fallen twice – and glanced over at L. He had been chewing relentlessly on his thumbnail for the duration of the day, eyes riveted on the screen, only stopping to eat twice, which was unlike him. Even Watari, who had brought their lunch and dinner, was worried about his employer. He had served enough sweets to make children in pre-school have heart attacks just to see if he could coax the detective into relinquishing his sudden despondent disposition into eating. Raito figured L's blood sugar was nearing the warning low right about now.

Raito moved the sheets beneath his fingers. He had managed to get through three quarters of the names before his eyes blurred and his mind meandered off. Oddly enough, it hadn't wandered far. To be specific, it had ambled directly towards the agitated investigator who had drawn his attention quite a lot as of late. And not in ways Raito thought were good.

Truth be told, the university student was becoming quite distraught as well. He was having thoughts, thoughts that any self respecting teenager of his standing should not have. His thoughts pertained to the way L shifted ever so slightly on his chair, and how his hair drooped over his eyes whenever he didn't wish for someone to notice his aggravation. He noticed the slight curve of L's lips as they lifted when treats were delivered, and dropped when one of the team members asked a rhetorical question. He noticed when the slender fingers moved over the keyboard just enough to touch the keys, but not adequately enough to actually indent the fingers. He especially noticed the way L's back had arched this morning, when the pillows had been positioned just so beneath him. Everything he noticed was being filed away in that small part of his mind that was slowly becoming stronger, calling out to him. And the part that truly irked him was that he was beginning to listen to it.

This morning's events were to be added to his growing list of 'Things Raito Didn't Need to Worry About but Would Anyways'.

L's hand stilled, and his head dropped, again hiding his emotions. Raito blinked, drawing his eyes away from L's fingers and up to the youth's face. His cheek was trembling, that soft, almost inaudible twitch that gave away his worry.

"Yagami-kun, we're moving the investigation upstairs," he whispered, uncurling from the chair. Raito stared. It was only nine o'clock. They usually stayed downstairs until at least two in the morning before moving upstairs.

"May I query as to why?" enquired Raito, saving his data. He picked up his laptop just as L began to move.

"No."

Raito stayed silent as the detective made his way up the stairs. Something was definitely wrong, and Raito was having his doubts about the 'Last Night' analysis. It no longer seemed that was it. If he had shaken up the detective that bad, maybe he should just apologize right now and get it over with.

As they stood within the elevator, Raito was still caught within his own inner turmoil. Apologize to L, make the detective calmer and maybe weed a few hours of extra sleep from him, or not apologize to L and have no sleep at all. Even if he did apologize, would L accept it? Would he just be making the detective more frustrated and dishevelled? Hell, he was making himself flustered just thinking about it.

The elevator dinged and L flew out of the door way, leaving Raito with no choice but to up his pace, or be dragged haplessly behind. L fought with the handle to their room and finally forced it open, marching in. Raito barely had time to close the door behind him when he was attacked by the end of the chain.

It struck him in the middle of his chest, leaving him speechless. L had thrown the cuff at him and was now sitting down on the end of the bed, thumbnail still indivisibly attached to his teeth. He was turned partially away from Raito, feet playing with the carpeting.

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Sleep, Raito-kun. I'll wake you in the morning," he said, standing. And then he exited the room.

Raito was frozen to the spot. He was still holding the chain, the cuff bumping gently against his thigh. L had just left him in the room. Alone. Without surveillance. Was he insane?

Raito didn't know what to do. He was torn between following the detective back out into the hallway and demanding what was wrong, and following his advice and getting some sleep. He chose the former.

He wound the chain around his waist and tucked the cuff into his belt before opening the door. He stumbled out into the hallway and then realized his quandary. He had no idea which way Ryuuzaki had gone. Taking his chances, he rushed down the passage opposite the elevator – as it was still on their floor – checking each room on the way. Eventually he came to the end of the corridor, and to the last door.

He grasped the handle and took a breath. This was the only logical place left. Turning the handle, he opened the door and walked into darkness.

He groped the side wall, searching for a light-switch. Not finding one, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The outline of boxes piled against the outer ring of the room and the low ceiling had Raito concluding that this room was a storage facility. And in the corner of the area was a hunched form with disarrayed hair.

Raito moved deeper within the room, taking care to skirt the boxes that hung perilously. He neared the quiet form and knelt beside it.

"You have become obstinate as of late, Raito-kun. I can only conclude that sleep deprivation is the cause," whispered the figure, turning.

"Sleep deficiency has its restrictions, Ryuuzaki. However, leaving me within a room without surveillance was not within your limits."

A grin graced L's thin lips. "Ah, but you could have chosen a number of different paths, aside from following my person."

"True, but where is the fun in that?"

L's smile grew a little wider, and he turned away again. Raito took a chance and sat down with his back to L, leaning against the other. He felt L stiffen, but then he relaxed and they continued in silence.

"Are you going to tell me why you left in such a hurry, leaving a suspected megalomaniac alone in a room without supervision? Twice, I might add," asked Raito, looking around the storage room.

"The first occasion wasn't without supervision. I was within the room, and could easily handle any situation. Besides, I could explain my actions, but why ruin the surprise."

"I personally don't wish to return to a room where I have to watch you chew off your own hand just because you cannot cope with emotional stress." Raito knew he was pressing, but he needed to know. Everything that was occurring in this moment was so unlike the detective that Raito couldn't truly comprehend it all.

"Are my emotions that important to you, Raito-kun?" asked L, his voice suddenly quiet.

Raito felt the ambience of the room shift. He glanced over his shoulder at his rival, and noticed that L was more hunched, his head down a little more, and Raito knew he was chewing on his thumbnail as he usually did in a situation that perturbed him. Raito also knew that his answer would either drive the detective into a deeper spiral of melancholy or back into his usual state. He had to choose his words carefully.

"Honestly, I am unsure," answered Raito, shifting his back. He felt L raise his head and turn to look at him, and he continued, "Everything has been confusing me lately, and it seems you are in the eye of the storm. Once I figure that out, I'll have your answer. But to be blatantly candid, your emotions are imperative to me, because I seem to be the only one you allow to see them." Raito turned his head to the side, catching L's eye. "Maybe it's not so bad having someone care for you, Ryuuzaki?"

L stared at him in shocked silence, eyes wider than their usual state. His mouth worked as if he wanted to say something, and then he looked down, "Thank you, Raito-kun."

Raito smiled softly, and fished out the end of the cuff. He unwound himself and handed the end to L. With a click, he was again attached to the other part of his destiny.

And maybe that wasn't so bad.

A/N: So ends Chapter 2! Ah, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Mainly because I got to pick on Raito. Well, L has now uncuffed Raito TWICE...I don't think that's a good idea personally...but hey, who knows. REVIEW please!! And more songs would be appreciated! My MP3 has finally decided to love me again ((huggles it)) All right, wait for the next update! Major fluff coming up...((wink))

Next Update:
06/08/07