I stayed up late to do another chapter – I was enjoying it too much to stop – but will never do that again as I missed out a sentence and turned the whole plot into nonsense XD It's fixed now...

SPOILERS: This is an AU so no real spoilers, may be hints of stuff from the manga but if you don't know, you won't know XD

DISCLAIMER: Death Note and its characters are not mine. The story is mine.The poem is one I wrote a few years ago but it seemed, uh, adequate to my needs. The quote is from Romeo and Juliet.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When I look at your face

I need to sit down, I need a cup of tea.

You could start wars

You could stop my rain falling.

I want to get wet with you, only you,

Feel you move in my grasp.

I want to know you from the inside,

drink you, drain you, penetrate you.

Hold you,

Dream you while you sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He that hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Raito awoke in a strange mood next morning. Couldn't quite work out what it was. He found himself breezing through his apartment quite cheerfully instead of slumping out of bed. He ate breakfast – only the rice and vegetables left from last night's dinner but normally it took him so long to get ready he didn't have time to eat.

As he left for the train station, he realised what the difference was. He was looking forward to going to work. Unusual. But then again, he possibly had something to look forward to.

On the journey, between coffee and sudoku, he wondered if L had found the missing Ryuuzaki for him. Or some hint as to who he might be. He hadn't looked Japanese at all – and if he really did have something to do with the American government, he might not be in the country any more. Ha! Ryuuzaki! You think you'll escape me by choosing to live on some other continent? Think again – I have leave owing. Some foreign travel sounds like a really good idea, especially if it leads to me being able to kick your damn door-locking ass at the end of it!

The good mood lasted through the morning, despite the early part of it being mostly paperwork and the kind that would normally have bored Raito into resentful somnolence.

"It's L time," Matsuda said at last, leaning across his own desk to stare at Raito.

"Yes, I know," Raito said, stretching tired typing muscles.

"You seem happy today, Yagami-kun."

"It's a nice day, why shouldn't I be happy?" Raito said, getting up from his desk and sorting through the papers he needed to take with him.

"Did you get lucky last night?" Matsuda asked.

"Do you ever think about anything else, Matsuda-san?"

"Of course I do, Yagami-kun!" Matsuda said indignantly. "I think about work when I'm here!"

"That's it? Work and sex?"

"Sometimes I watch a movie," Matsuda said, following Raito out of the room.

"Porn movie?"

"Sometimes," Matsuda smiled at Raito who realised that talking to Matsuda about porn probably wasn't his best move if he didn't want to encourage the man. But he seemed so – helpless, somehow. Stop that, Raito! You know what happens when you start wanting to look after people and improve their lives! You end up with needy exes calling you up all through the night!

Raito waited patiently in the conference room as the other detectives filed in and Watari, in his usual Film Noir guise dealt with L's remote communication set-up.

"You can tell me, you know," Matsuda muttered in Raito's ear, making the young man jump.

"Don't do that, Matsuda!" Raito said. "I was thinking – tell you what?"

"Anything, Yagami-kun," Matsuda said. "Even something personal that you might want to confide in someone."

"Such as?"

"Well, such as the reason why you're not interested in having a girlfriend, Yagami-kun."

"You mean because I haven't found anyone who's interesting, intelligent and has at least vestiges of common sense?"

"Um, no, not that reason, Yagami-kun," Matsuda leaned in closer. "I mean, there could be a much more, um, instinctual reason why you don't have a girlfriend."

"Matsuda-san, if you're trying to confess your inclinations to me, I suggest you don't do it in front of L."

"He's not set up yet – is he?" Matsuda peered across at the blank laptop screen.

"Of course he is, didn't you notice yesterday that he knew what we were saying to each other even before he was officially turned on? I expect he does that all the time to find out what people say when they don't think he's listening."

"I wouldn't have noticed that, Yagami-kun," Matsuda gazed at his friend admiringly.

"It's just observation, Matsuda-san," Raito said. There's nothing I can do to stop him, is there? I'm nice, I'm rude, I'm critical, he doesn't care. I need to find him someone else to get interested in, it's the only way. A diversion.

"Are we ready to begin?" L's voice. "And thank you, Yagami-kun, it's nice to be aware of your interest in whether I'm turned on or not."

Raito kept a blank face. Despite the look his father was giving him. "You're very welcome, L."

"Shall we move on to the Shakespeare Killer, gentlemen?" L suggested.

"Tsk!" Matsuda muttered. "This is a very sick case, Yagami-kun."

"Mm," Raito agreed.

"Appears to have moved to Tokyo from San Francisco," L's briefing had begun. "He targets gay couples, overpowers one of them and rapes and kills the other in front of his bound lover. Then finishes off the other half of the couple. Leaving behind him a quote from Romeo and Juliet written on the wall in the victim's blood."

"Quote?" Matsuda searched his notes.

"Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow – " Raito began.

"That I shall say good night till it be morrow," L finished. "Any thoughts on this?"

"It's absolutely tragic, don't you think, Yagami-kun?" Matsuda muttered. "To deliberately go out of his way to point out that he's making one of them suffer watching the other one die."

"This is why we are going to stop him, Matsuda-san," L said. "But not if we spend our time attempting to wash the victims from their graves with tears."

Raito smiled. L knew his Romeo and Juliet. And he certainly seemed to have brought in an interesting case here.

"Nobody seems to have any idea who the killer is," Aizawa said. "Nobody sees him come or go, we only know he's male because of the DNA he leaves behind."

"The victim's always the girl party of the relationship," Mogi said.

"Girl?" said Yagami Souchirou. "There are no girls involved."

"You know what I mean, Chief, the one that acts as the girl."

"Huh," said Matsuda. "The uke, you mean."

"The what?" said Mogi. "What's that?"

"Passive partner in the relationship," L informed him.

"Damn, what a shame all these guys are dead!" Matsuda muttered to Raito as he shuffled through the crime scene photos of the killer's San Francisco victims. "Look how cute they are, Yagami-kun."

"Matsuda-san, I can't believe you're getting off looking at corpses!" Raito whispered back, somewhat disgusted.

"I'm not!" Matsuda looked mortally offended. "You think I have no imagination, Yagami-kun? I'm picturing them as they were before they were stiffs, you moron!"

"I'm sorry," Raito murmured back. "I took what you said the wrong way." I can't believe I'm apologising to him now. Apologising! But he does seem upset about it. And it was a nasty thing to suggest to him.

"No problem, Yagami-kun!" Matsuda patted Raito's arm. "I'm just saying, he goes out of his way to pick pretty young men."

"They all have similar jobs as well," Raito added. "There's a stripper, no, two strippers, one works behind a bar, couple of musicians – "

"They all work in some form of – entertainment?" Matsuda suggested. "And this guy here, he's a waiter – "

"It's not apparent from the notes," L broke in, "but all of the victims worked in establishments that had an overwhelmingly gay clientele."

"So he's targeting people by visiting gay clubs and so on," Matsuda reflected, "That's where he picks them up or follows them or whatever he does – "

"He probably chooses people that actually work there because it's less random," Raito said. "He can observe them over a period of time because he's sure they're going to be there habitually."

"And he'll be able to see if they have a regular boyfriend or not," Matsuda added. "If he's looking for couples, someone single is no good to him, or someone who looks as if they're with somebody else but it's really just a one nighter."

"You two seem to be experts on this kind of thing," Aizawa put in.

"A good police officer should be knowledgeable about local subcultures, don't you think, Aizawa-san?" L said.

"I suppose people develop relationships in the same way whatever their sexual orientation," Yagami Souchirou said thoughtfully. "But what I don't understand is, why they end up with a third person, the killer, involved with them. What does he have to offer them? Why do they invite him into their homes? Which I presume they do, since none of these reports suggests there's any sign of forced entry."

"Apart from the forced entry the victims – " Mogi began.

"I don't think we need that degree of flippancy about this case," L interrupted.

"Um. Sorry," Mogi muttered.

"Gross, Mogi!" Matsuda glared at the other detective.

"We should be looking in Shinjuku Ni-Chome," Raito said.

"That's the gay district, is it, Yagami-kun?" L asked.

"It's the area with most places friendly to foreigners," Raito said. "But honestly, there's hundreds of bars and clubs. I don't know how we'd pick where to start."

"Look for the cutest young men?" Matsuda suggested.

"I'm sure there are plenty of those available, Matsuda-san," L said.

"Hm," Raito was getting an idea. He didn't like it much, but it was an idea. "Decoy?" he suggested.

"Put in our own cute young man?" L asked.

"Why not? It might not work but it's more precise than all of us hanging around bars for ever."

"I don't think my wife would understand if I was spending my nights hanging around gay bars," Aizawa put in.

"It seems a reasonable method," L said. "Any volunteers?"

Everyone looked at everyone else. The glances gradually shifted until Raito realised with a sinking feeling that everyone was looking at him. Why me? Oh. Yes. That's why me.

"I don't want my son posing as a stripper!" Yagami Souchiro burst out.

"He doesn't have to do that," Matsuda said. "He can be – something else."

"Like what?" Mogi said. "A waitress?"

Raito gave the other detective a glare that could melt metal.

"The Lamp Post has a pianist on Saturday nights," Matsuda said. "Didn't Yagami-kun play piano at one time?"

"We should find somewhere that wants a pianist every night," Aizawa said. "Just Saturday, it'd take us years."

"If he can play piano, he can play keyboard," L said. "That gives us more options. Obviously we're going to have to come to some arrangement with the owner of whatever bar we choose."

"Keyboards aren't quite the same as piano – " Raito began.

"You're a fast learner, Yagami-kun," L overrode his objection.

"There's another problem," Raito said. "There's only one of me. The killer targets couples."

"It doesn't matter about the appearance of the other half of the couple," Aizawa said. "One of us could do it. Not me. My wife wouldn't understand."

"Mogi?" Souchiro suggested.

"Looks too aggressive and he's too homophobic," L said. "He'd probably scare our man away."

"I could do it!" Matsuda chirped. "I wouldn't mind being your boyfriend, Yagami-kun!"

"Thanks, Matsuda-san," Raito said. Yeah, right, like I didn't know that already!

"I will supply one of my agents as the other half of this partnership," L's voice broke in. "I'm sure you will find him adequate to your needs, Yagami-kun."

"Uh – " Raito stuttered. "Um, L, don't you think – "

"No, I don't," L's voice, even computerized, took on a testy edge. "And I suggest you don't either, Yagami-kun."

"Uh – yes." said Raito. I'm going to have to live with some guy I don't even know? Who may have, I don't know, personal hygiene problems or laundry on the floor habits! He might squeeze the toothpaste in the middle! Fold over the corners of my books! Play music I don't like! And I'm going to have to pretend that I'm involved with this – person? Why the hell did I have this stupid idea!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Yagami-kun and I need to discuss the details of his investigation," L's mechanical voice said as the meeting broke up.

Raito waited until everyone had left, then approached L's laptop. He didn't need to, but it seemed to help him feel more as if he was talking to a real human being.

"Are you confident about this decoy assignment, Yagami-kun?" L asked suddenly.

"If you mean do I think I can pretend to be gay, I don't think I'll have any problem," Raito said. Shit, what did I say? What does that sound like? "I mean – I don't have any objection to being – to pretending to be – "

"I'm sure Yagami-kun's acting ability is nothing short of superb," L said. "I hope having to be the less dominant half of a gay couple will not distress him too much."

"I draw the line at cross-dressing," Raito said. "So don't get me a damn job as a drag act anywhere, because I won't do it."

"It hadn't crossed my mind," L said. "Although, studying Yagami-kun's photo again – "

"L!"

"I expect Yagami-kun is curious about the outcome of my investigation for him." L changed the subject.

"Yes, I am actually," Raito said. "Did you find anything?"

"I may have done."

"Yes?" Raito prompted after a few moments silence.

"It's complicated, Yagami-kun. There are matters involved which I'm not at liberty to discuss with you. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you want to do with this man when you find him."

"Kick his – uh, tell him what I think of his actions, L."

"You have no plans to arrest him?"

"From what you've just said I get the impression that might be either an unwise or a futile thing to do." Damn it, the guy must have some kind of diplomatic immunity. Damn!

"In that case, I think I may be able to arrange for you to see him quite soon, Yagami-kun. Leave it with me and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, L. It's very kind of you to take the trouble."

"No trouble, Yagami-kun. Is that all for today?"

"Just one thing, L – this agent I have to live with?"

"Yes."

"Is he – I mean – does he – "

"I'm sure he will make a kind and considerate boyfriend for Yagami-kun."

"Yes, but what about personal hygiene?" Raito demanded. "Does he bathe regularly? Brush his teeth?"

"Is that important to Yagami-kun?"

"Yes, of course it is!" Raito said. "I mean, I might have to – I will have to be affectionate with him. I won't like it if he doesn't care about cleanliness."

"I'll make sure he knows to scrub himself from top to toe before presenting himself to you, Yagami-kun."

"Um – yes. Thank you, L."

"And I will procure an apartment for you both somewhere near the gay district so it won't be too far for the killer to travel if he should take a fancy to murdering you."

"..."

"Good morning, Yagami-kun. Have an enjoyable day."