Chapter 2: A New Arrival

Light. For a moment, nothing registered in L's brain. That voice filled his head, its significance lost to him in his shock – silently, he stood up and padded towards the source. The strains of insane laughter that drew him were beginning to sound more unstable, if that was at all possible. L faced the closed door that separated him and the newcomer, still and unheard in the dark hallway. The strange jumble of hoarse gasps, cackles and sobs reached him from the other side of the door. He opened it.

There was Light, lying on his back in the centre of the room. Still in the pose he had died in, L guessed. Upon hearing the sound of the door against the carpet, evidence of another presence, Light forgot to keep laughing and trailed off in a long, many-tiered breath which stuck in his throat when he turned his head to see that the presence was L.

Where he stood in the doorway, a thought reached L. Light was here.

L watched him. He wasn't doing anything, just lying there and looking at L expressionlessly. In fact, he was a picture of innocence. L almost shook his head. How typical of Light.

L decided it probably couldn't do that much harm to go and say hello. He ambled over towards Light, who regarded him calmly.

L crouched over him and brought his face to within inches of Light's so that their noses were almost touching. L couldn't decide whether it was out of a desire to provoke Light or analyse him that he felt it necessary to go and invade his space and breathe in his air.

He searched Light's eyes - as expected, no further data was recovered.

Judging by appearances, he didn't seem to know how to respond to this situation. Maybe he didn't understand this situation. Well, that would be... a natural reaction, L supposed.

Either that or he had already decided how he was going to respond and was scheming behind his poker face, calculating the best way to go about it. It didn't really matter. He couldn't do a lot of damage now that he was dead. Except perhaps to L. There was nothing he could do to salvage his Kira plan now, though L was willing to bet it wouldn't be for lack of trying.

Light still wasn't doing anything. He was so interesting.

So L continued to watch Light, mulling over his unexpected arrival. Things would be very different now. He had been wrong about his eternal solitude, apparently. He didn't know how he felt about it. Actually on second thoughts, his immediate reactions were interest, naturally, and relief. Yes, thought L. That seemed about right.

Then beneath him, Light sighed, shrugged and closed his eyes, blocking out the view of L's face.

L put his thumb to his lips. Of course, Light must have been very tired. He had been the same. Death really does take it out of you.

L sat back and arranged himself into his customary crouch. It was probable that Light recognised the hopelessness of the situation with regards to his objectives as Kira. Whether he would sit back and accept it or not was another question. Light, he knew, was a very determined young man.

Light's breathing became slower and deeper as he drifted off. To tell the truth, L was surprised. Clearly, Light trusted him enough to go to sleep while being stared at from mere inches away. Perhaps he thought L was a hallucination, which, to be fair, would not be a completely unreasonable assumption. Maybe he hoped that when he woke up it would all have been a dream. L smirked. Well, if that was true he was in for a disappointment. Yes, he was trapped here for all eternity for all either of them knew. With only L for company.

L placed a hand on Light's cheek and loomed over him once again, as if to...

"Didn't I tell you I would catch you in the end?" came the whisper.


A/N: "A New Arrival" is a really rubbish title. Anyhow I hope that was better than the chapter 2 I posted in the kink meme. Well, if you just so happen to have read both, please let me know your verdict. Of course, I would still appreciate your verdict if you haven't read the other version.