THREE
L easily kept up with Light, although he was running fast. They had soon made their way out of the building and were on the school grounds - near where Light had seen the teachers talking to the police officer, and he got as close to them as he could. The voices carried, but only a little. It was only the police officer that they could hear more clearly.
"What time, exactly, did this happen?"
The teacher replied, her hands trembling furiously. "One-one f-fifteen."
"What did you hear?"
"A-a shout. Th-then I saw h-her -"
That's my geography teacher from last year...
"B-but, she wasn't moving."
Another teacher came up and rested a hand against her back, face solemn and grey.
"It was just her in the courtyard when we got there. We didn't see who did it." The other teacher said, his voice authoritative and carrying over. "Kitani-sensei was the one who discovered it. That's why she's so distraught."
Light let out a breath he'd been holding.
"I know where they're talking about." He murmured quietly.
L followed him again as he ran.
Their footsteps seemed loud in the empty space. Everyone had already gone back to class and news was probably rippling of what had happened in theirs too. Then all of a sudden, an alarm, and students running out of the building they were heading towards. Teachers directing them.
L and Light both fought against the flow and pushed their way into the building. Several students hit them both and one almost pushed Light over. The corridors became more and more empty on their way. Voices disappeared when they reached the last hall before the courtyard, and they stood at the door that led out to it. Sunlight filtered through the top-halves that were glass. The part of it that was wood was old and un-lacquered. Light breathed in, finding himself unable to breathe out again. L shuffled beside him, and looked through.
There was a roll of police tape on the ground, but there hadn't been time to set it up yet. There were another two teachers bowing their heads, talking quietly with each other. And on the ground was...
"A girl..." L murmured.
There was no reply from Light so he turned.
"Yagami-kun...?"
"That's..."
He swallowed.
Blood. Everywhere.
Light covered his mouth with a hand and his eyes darted around the scene in disbelief.
An attack...? This is... Someone was...- !
The two teachers shifted where they were standing and L pulled Light to the side so that they couldn't be seen.
"Maybe we should split up," L suggested. "They could have even hidden among the students that just came out. The only way in there is through this entrance." He muttered, gaze focused on the other side of the door. "That means they might still be in this building, or someone probably saw them leave."
Light crumbled against the wall, staring at him - through him.
Whoever had done the attack had been merciless. The death didn't look like it had been quick, which called to question - how much time exactly had the attacker had? And how could it have gone unnoticed?
Light nodded vaguely.
"You should... check the building. I know the outside better. I'll go outside."
"You're shaking."
Light's fist clenched and he bit down hard on his lip.
"I'm fine. Come on."
He turned, but there was a small tug on his sleeve.
"Look."
L had a finger pointed out. Light followed where he was pointing.
"A paper?"
"It's covered in - "
"Blood." Light finished.
He took a step forward, and hesitated, then picked it up and unfolded it.
He read what was on it, over and over again. Silent.
"...Do you think this is - " Light glanced at L. Then blinked in surprise. "L... you have blood on your shirt."
"Huh?"
L looked down.
"Your nose is bleeding!"
L could only feel the blood running as Light said it and he covered his nose, trying to stop it.
With bad timing, a different police officer than the one who was questioning the teacher before turned the corner and saw them.
His partner?
"Shit." Light cursed, shoving the piece of paper into his pocket and opening his mouth to speak, but not knowing exactly what to say that would make this look innocent.
"Boys," the officer said, "What are you doing here?"
"We - heard there was an attack! We came to see what happened!"
The officer immediately noticed L's shirt covered in blood.
"He has a nose bleed! I know this looks bad. It's not - "
"Don't move!"
Light froze, and so did L.
"I'm placing you under arrest." He said, grabbing L and forcing him against the wall. "Where is the blood from?-!"
"It's just his nose!" Light protested, although obviously the officer wasn't listening to him.
He radioed that he had caught the person who had committed the attack, and L was handcuffed despite Light's protests. "Listen, neither of us were here! We just came to see what was going on!"
Damn it, he's not going to believe me!
"My father's chief of the NPA! We were trying to help!" Light screamed. In light of everything, his emotions were getting the better of him.
"I don't care who you're father is." The officer replied. "We're going to the station."
Light sat with his hands together.
He could barely get the image out of his head. That... had all really happened, right? That wasn't some sort of nightmare he was about to wake up from... right?
Someone at his school... had been killed.
He flinched as a pile of papers slammed onto the desk of an officer around him. A call to his father had saved him from being where L was now. He'd just been sitting there after being questioned. Waiting.
"Were you and Lawliet-san together at the time of the incident?"
Light hesitated, stiffening.
"Um... Actually we had different classes before."
"What time did you arrive at the classroom?"
"Class begins at 1:15... I think I was about five minutes early..."
It was taking longer than he thought it would. A standard DNA test could be done in half an hour, but L had been in there for several.
He rested his head against the wall.
What's taking so long?
He glanced to the side as he heard a noise. The opening of doors.
"How do you know Lawliet-san?"
"Uh... He's a transfer student from the UK. We're in most of the same classes."
"I see."
The officer shifted.
"What kind of person would you describe him as?"
The note that Light had passed back to Miho earlier that day came to his mind.
"To be honest, I haven't talked to him that much."
"But you both decided to take off and try solve this by yourselves?"
"Well, he... followed me. And we didn't realize at the time, that somebody had actually been..."
"... I see."
"You're free to go." The officer announced and handcuffs were released from L's wrist. His bloody T-shirt had been replaced with a plain green collared shirt. It was creased, although it still fit better than his other one.
"You're still here..." L mumbled in surprise.
"I didn't... think it would take that long." Light replied stiffly, straightening his back. "And they were questioning me for a while anyway."
The officers by L's side walked away and he was left, awkwardly standing there.
"That was... a really bad time to have a nosebleed. You know?"
"Yes..." L agreed quietly. "I would say it's probably one of the worst."
Light bit his lip.
"While I was waiting... I was able to overhear some things at the station..."
"So that was the real reason you were waiting?"
"...No." He glanced sharply at L. "You really say what's on your mind, don't you?"
"I don't usually bother."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing in particular."
A choked laugh escaped Light's lips. "Right..."
L was quiet, and placed his hands in his pockets.
Something about Light's look was completely different. He wasn't the polite student who had introduced himself that morning. Although there was nothing in particular that L could single out being different. Perhaps there was just something about Light now, that he just hadn't noticed before.
L sat in a crouch beside him, in the empty apartment. And wrapped his arms around his legs.
"This world..." Light murmured. "Is so rotten."
L buried his chin into his knees, not saying anything.
"Just this morning... It was a normal school day. And now..."
Light let it trail off, and they sat in silence. Until Light suddenly stood.
"It's not fair! Why should innocent people suffer?! That girl – that was someone's sister, someone's daughter - ! What the hell did she do to deserve that? Why is the world so... so..." His fists clenched, "fucked?"
"Justice sometimes fails."
Light's head whipped round.
"That's what it said on the note, didn't it?"
All the time at the station, Light had held onto it. He hadn't shown it to the police, even though it was evidence. They'd already been caught at the crime scene – tampering with evidence before the police had gotten there would have only made his and L's position worse. And besides that...
Light felt around in his pocket.
"Yeah..."
"You didn't give it to the police?"
"...No."
"Then... you should probably burn it."
Light swallowed.
"Yeah, I know."
The paper was taken from his hand, and L held it up out in front of him. Just like the test paper that morning, he held it carefully with his thumb and index finger. His eyes scanned it for a while before he turned it around, then back again.
"It's strange that it's written in English..."
"Isn't it..."
"Yagami-kun...?"
"Where were you before class, L?" Light mused. "A foreign student with a mysterious background shows up, then someone's murdered at our school, and the murderer leaves a note behind written in English..."
L almost dropped the paper in his hand.
"Huh?"
"That's what the police would have thought... That's why I didn't give it to them."
"So... You don't find it suspicious?"
"It's nothing but circumstantial. But it's enough for the police to draw conclusions. It won't have any benefit, they're questioning someone who's as likely as anyone else to be innocent. If anything, it's just going to slow down any investigation they do into it."
"I see. So it's nothing about trusting me then."
Light sat back down onto the couch and glanced up at him.
"To be honest... I thought you were weird. But it's not like you really fit the profile of a murderer."
"...Thank you."
"...Sorry."
L turned away from him and got up. Started making noise in the kitchen.
Reluctantly, Light stood up and walked over to him.
"...Why are all the cupboards empty?"
"My parents usually aren't home."
"They don't leave you with food?"
"No."
He watched as L finally found the cupboard, and took down a jar of coffee and sugar and placed the kettle on.
"They're not... my real parents."
"Huh?"
"My real parents... passed away when I was young. I was adopted, by distant relatives four years ago."
"...Sorry."
"Like I said, there's no reason you should be apologizing."
L put four spoonfuls of coffee into his cup and Light watched as he followed by adding seven of sugar.
Then L paused and added one more.
"Do you drink coffee, Yagami-kun?"
"Um... Yeah. Just black. And one spoon of coffee..."
He watched as L got another mug.
"So even if you did make a call from the school today..."
"They probably wouldn't have answered."
"Is that... also why you followed me?"
L hesitated.
"It was part of the reason."
Light was about to say something, but bit his lip.
"My father... is chief of the NPA. That was mostly why they let me out of questioning so quickly. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. But I didn't really plan on working with anyone."
"...Is that your way of saying that you don't want my help?"
"Not exactly..." Light wondered aloud, "I just always thought that other people would get in the way."
"So then..." L assumed, "Yagami-kun is telling me that I'm in his way."
Light shook his head.
"No, you don't get it. I mean, I'm actually glad that you followed me. Nobody else... would have done that. We... didn't know what happened today. But you were determined, as much as I was to help somehow. L... that girl... she was Aiko's sister. Aiko was the one who asked for your email today. I knew her, that's why at the time, I was like that. I couldn't really do anything, I couldn't believe... that it was her. And I let it get the better of me. I noticed how calm you were. If anything... I was the one in the way. I didn't even notice the paper you pointed out. I wasn't thinking clearly. So... now it's my turn... to say thanks."
The kettle boiled.
L stared at him.
"Thanks...?"
"...Yeah."
"People usually just say that I'm emotionless."
"Uh," Light's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't what I meant. I was saying that despite everything, you were able to stay calm. That's not something that a lot of people can do without proper training. And even then..."
"Yagami-kun?"
"Mm?"
"There won't be school tomorrow, will there..."
"No..."
"Then... let's spend the day trying to solve what happened."
It was only then that Light noticed the stripped look in L's eyes. Not stripped of emotion like it could be easily mistaken for maybe by others, but stripped of any sort of spirit.
Light took the mug that was being offered out to him, and waited for it to cool. His gaze was fixed on L as he leaned with his back against the kitchen counter. Hands holding him up like his thin body needed the support.
"Hey... Are you okay?" Light asked, uncertain.
L chest suddenly started moving very fast.
"Hey - ? - !"
Light set the mug down and grabbed his shoulders.
"L - ! Hey, answer me!"
Delayed... trauma...?
"Hey, you're having a panic attack!"
Without any support, L's body weight fell on top of him.
'¬'`¬'
"Matsuda?"
"Yes?"
"We just got alerted by Shibuya station... There was an attack at Light's school..."
Matsuda immediately stood from his chair, face panicked.
"What? Light-kun's school? When did this happen?"
"Around 1pm. It was... similar to the other attacks that have happened. Except this time, it was a young female student. It didn't get picked up on right away."
"Only the one attack? How is it similar? Chief, where are you going?"
"Matsuda, come with me. We need to talk."
Matsuda scrambled some things he'd been working on into his drawer and threw on his jacket, following him.
"What I tell you now," Soichiro said, when they were alone together in the parking lot underneath the building. It was relatively dark, and a light flickered that needed replacing. "You can't repeat to anyone else, is that clear?"
Matsuda nodded after a second, reassuringly.
"Yes, chief."
"We suspect that the people who are committing the Tokyo killings are actually somehow connected to the police. The suspect we've otherwise been chasing has been a decoy."
"What - ?-!"
"Like I said," Soichiro repeated, "This is not to be repeated. But I need at least one partner I can work with who I can trust. If we don't catch them soon, this is only going to get much worse."
"How... How could it be worse?"
"They're two people working together too," Soichiro said, holding up a sheet of paper in front of Matsuda's face. "But one of them is starting to branch out and work on their own. This was sent to my email this morning."
Matsuda read it, then shook his head. "I don't understand. I thought there was only one of them... Why do you think that there's two?"
"I'll fill you in on the details in a place that's safer to talk. Right now, I also have to pick up Light. He was being questioned at Shibuya station."
"What? Light-kun was?!"
"It was a misunderstanding." Soichiro replied, clarifying. "I got in contact with him. He's at a classmates place now. I'll email you tonight so that we can organize a proper meeting. In the meantime, I'll need to ask you to start looking through classified profiles of police who have any sort of psychological history, from before or after they joined the police."
"But... I don't know the code to your account?"
"Does that mean that you'll do it?"
"Of-of course!"
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-Author's Notes-
Chapter three! I am always unsure how each chapter turns out... And there was so much going on in this one, so please forgive my writing :S Well, this is maybe getting a little darker than I expected too, but basically the plot is the same. I hope it is okay, and that you're all doing well
B.