Death: Well, I experienced a small bit of writer's block because I really, really, really, really wanted to keep the idea of L and Light meeting each other for the first time in chapter 5. Unfortunately...I couldn't keep that goal unless dragging things out. I couldn't do that, its just not my style. So deal with me with the extra great details in this chapter.
Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, it'd turn out like this story in some way.
Chapter 3 Unexpected Dramas
Light hummed softly, as his hand worked on his new piece of art. It had been almost three weeks since he first woke up as L's somewhat prisoner. As of yet L hadn't decided whether or not Light was considered a criminal. The detective's debating made the lone vampire anxious, and requested that so long he has to stay here then he'd better have the choice to paint.
He had said, "If you want to keep me happy and not go on a rampage, then allow me to paint. A big canvas will do. And oil paints, and brushes that aren't crappy." That same day, the Elder brought him exactly what he needed. At least now Light wasn't going to be bored during his imprisonment.
It took a few days for his shoulder to heal completely, just as what Watari told him. During that time, Light had planned out his next work of art. He may not be able to finish the piece back home, but he felt that it'd be too much to ask for the Elder to retrieve it. Besides, Light despises his house, although he moved frequently, being violated. It was his personal living space, and paintings were spread out unfinished and gave anyone visiting a hard time to move around.
Well, that was Light's point. All around the front door and living room were unfinished paintings he would work on depending on the mood. If any stranger managed to slip into his home, they would be distracted enough from the amount of paintings lying around to not notice much of anything else. And his bedroom was over all the cleanest part of the house, and anything personal (although there's not much of his that were special) would be carefully hidden so no one can find them.
And now, after three weeks, Light was almost done with the canvas the Elder brought him. At first the lone vampire didn't know what to paint about. His mind was still focused too much on his best work in progress back home. So naturally, the artist decided to let his mind wander for inspiration. He just stared blankly at the canvas for hours, thinking over what colors he felt like using, what scenery he wanted to use, therefore narrowing down the ideas that were forming in his mind.
Then his mind wandered to the mansion he called home. Even though he had never stepped inside it since the death of his family, it was still his home. For the longest time Light avoided to paint anything related to that mansion, but this piece wouldn't be showed in public. L might keep it as a souvenir, or as evidence since Light once lived in the mansion.
So Light had begun painting. He first outlined the mansion with perfect straight lines with the paint. Light didn't need to use pencil, being a vampire meant he had more control with his hands. Then he painted the part of the front yard to add some sense of perspective to the mansion. But the painting itself was more on the mansion, and in the background was clear blue skies with a few puffy clouds.
By the end of the first week he had most of the outlining done. Then he painted the shadows first, creating a dark scene before him. It was Light's style, shadows were hard to contrast with the lighter shades, so he picked up a style where the shadows were painted first then he would paint the lighter shades over them. It'll grant the loner less stress going over and over about shadows and lightings. He knew from experience that painting realistically could drive the artist insane.
Gradually, the mansion became more alive as he painted the lighting. But because Light was being extra careful, it took him nearly two weeks to be close to finishing it. He wanted to make the painting the same as what it was in his memory, which was very hard for Light. Everything had to be perfect, every little detail of the lines, the shades, the shape, the angle, any little excuse for Light to work on.
"Such a pain. But with so much time on my hands, there's not much to do." Light sighed to himself, and then added for the detective. "And really, L, you're sure taking your sweet time finding the last remaining family member I have."
"Or maybe you have found him," Light paused. "And he's just being an ass for not showing up. He is a workaholic, always ready to punish criminals."
"If he is a workaholic as you say, then it should explain why he hasn't returned our call." L sighed dramatically while he nibbled his thumb.
For the past three weeks L had watched Light's work nonstop. His eyes were glued to the screens before him, watching as Light created a work of art out of a blank canvas. It was a very intriguing sight for L; he just couldn't pull his eyes away from the sight. Light's artistic values were amazing, and witnessing the young vampire while he's painting brought a feeling of delight, for some odd reason L could not fathom.
Then while Light was taking a break by relaxing his shoulders and back on the bed, L had a good view of the painting. It was then that the painting dawned on the detective that he had seen this mansion before. Back when he was very young, right after he was taken in by Watari.
L quickly turned the chair around to stare at the Elder. The movement was so sudden, and the fact the detective had not moved over three weeks caused Watari to jump a little. Regaining his composure, the Elder calmed down and waited for L to speak.
"Watari, do you remember the second orphanage that served as an extension for Whammy's? The one we visited right after you took me in." L requested.
"Vaguely." Watari nodded.
"The one you said had been passed down from generation to generation of a rich family that was well known in Germany. And then suddenly, they all died. In the will, the leading man left the manor to Whammy's possession to extend the use of orphanages to help replace me if something happened." L elaborated.
"Oh! That orphanage, yes, I remember now. What of it?" The Elder asked, curious.
"Light is painting the very same manor. In every single, detail. Everything about it is the same as I remember. The painting is exactly what I saw of the real thing some years ago." L was excited; his arms and legs were shaking from sheer exhilaration from this particular clue.
"Are you saying that he could be the survivor of that family?"
"That is a possibility, but first we need to find out just how many family members there were in that manor. I believe it was called the Diederich Manor, if I remember correctly." L spun his chair back around to latch his gaze onto the seemingly peaceful Light.
A few moments of typing into the computer's search engine, Watari stood up. "The Diederich family, there were four members in total. A father, a mother, a son, and a young daughter. They were viciously murdered, a very well planned out murder by the looks of it. The case is still open, for they were a very important family to the justice system of vampires."
L slowly glanced over his shoulder. "Then we have found the family. Light is a Diederich, a real survivor. I am amazed how he kept his identity safe for so long."
"That would also explain why he had gone to such lengths to keep himself away from anyone who hunted him down." Watari suggested.
"Right. Do we know what his first name is?"
"Let's see…well he actually kept his first name with him this whole time." The Elder examined the names of the family.
"Interesting…normally if someone was to hide his identity, they would change their whole name and not keep a part of it with them." L nibbled his thumb thoughtfully.
"Hey, is there any way for me to get some exercise around here? My muscles already feel dull from being a sponge this past three weeks." Light asked, glancing up at nearby camera.
"…His accuracy of finding a camera insults me." The detective sighed dramatically.
"What do you propose to do with his exercise issue?" Watari raised his head.
In reality, Light's body was physically fine. But his muscles were becoming dull to him. He felt that his body was slowing down from not doing much of anything. Light was used to his usual routine, get up, go to work, go to the gym, come home, and work on his paintings. Now that he couldn't grant his muscles the exercise, the reaction time of his abilities would slow down.
He had experienced this first hand when his body was under attack from a severe flu virus. When Light had the chills, his body would shake even though he had a high fever. His stomach would hurl everything he ate back up and into either the sink or the toilet, which ever happened to be nearest at the time. Light had also such a severe headache he couldn't stand a certain brightness or loud noises without whimpering weakly. His muscles ached painfully from the chills, his throat dry and sore from the amount of coughing fits he had.
Vampires were extremely healthy. Barely anything such as a virus or bacteria could harm them. And when either of them struck, it had to be a very strong and persistent pathogen to cause such a reaction from a vampire. This was why Light was caught off guard when he became ill, and it took a caring neighbor, another vampire who was elderly and thought of him as a dear son, decided to check on him because he had enclosed himself in his apartment for so long. She found him on the couch, mummified by blankets as he shivered uncontrollably.
She called in an ambulance, one that was meant specifically for vampires. In order to keep humans from finding any hints of vampires being alive, they created a system very similar to the humans but meant only for their race. Anyway, Light had been hospitalized as one of the first severe cases of an illness such as his. He had been sick for only a few weeks before the doctors were able to kill off the virus before any permanent muscle damage was done. His shakings and fever were so severe doctors worried he may not pull through.
But Light was stubborn. He wouldn't die from a simple illness, not when he was still searching for the man who killed off his family. And in the end, he had lost most of his swiftness, agility, and stamina. He had also lost his ability to control waves. He was able to control a bit afterwards but only enough to cause a small spark in the air. It took him months to fully recover from such a simple illness that had lasted a few weeks.
A slight ruffle in the room made the loner look up from his lying position to see the Elder standing at the doorway. Instantly showing his respect, although he didn't have to, Light quickly sat up and turned so he was on the edge of the bed.
"Master L is wondering at how well you can spar, and what sort of defenses you were trained in." Watari simply said.
Light froze, too shocked to even blink. He surely didn't expect this.
"I trained myself in just about every martial art there is. My specialty is Kendo, Sambo, Aikido and Karate." The young vampire said with a small hint of a confident smirk.
Light certainly felt proud of himself.
"Ah, it would seem that you're trained in all different varieties." Watari nodded to himself.
"Yes, so I'm curious, why is L interested to what martial arts I've been trained in?" the loner crossed his arms, leaning back comfortably.
"Oh, nothing in particular. Do you care for a snack when I come back?" the Elder offered.
Light shook his head. He knew that Watari was only trying to distract him from figuring out that L wanted to do a one on one combat. The loner didn't understand why such a famous detective, albeit a hermit one at that, would take such a sudden interest for some sort of sparring with his suspect. Not that Light was a criminal, he knew he wasn't, everything he did was in self defense.
When the Elder left, Light laid himself back down on the bed. He didn't know what to make of any of this. Ever since he was captured, Light couldn't pick up any theory as to why L would keep him here. Sure, L may not have enough evidence as to whether or not he did any crime, but there had to be more than that. Nothing Light came up with made any sense what so ever.
"You know, even if we haven't met face to face, I believe we have some sort of connection. Half the time I feel like talking to a damn wall, but I know you're listening and watching me every hour of every day." Light thought out loud. "I'm sure you're wondering…what sort of power I have. Well, I can't tell. I can only show you. The problem is that my body is too weak from just a few weeks of sitting around and paint. So I'm afraid you can't trick me to show you what power I have."
Light couldn't hold back a knowing smirk.
L nearly rammed his fist against the table. Damn that little minx! Light saw right through his plan, and right off the bat. The loner was very intelligent, L would give him that. But to smirk, smirk to rub it into L's face? Oh how L wanted to curse Light, curse him until he had no use of words of every language to curse him.
"What do you wish to do now, L?" Watari spoke as he entered the room.
"The answer is simple. I'm going to spar with him." L nearly growled.
Sensing something was wrong, the Elder frowned. "What happened?"
"He saw right through my plan. And he mocked me, Watari, mocked me." L stood up, tucking his hands into his pockets
The Elder was now worried, no one who mocked the great detective lived to tell the tale of getting away with it. It was one of the few things L was sensitive about. He wouldn't even blink an eye when insulted, or flinch when attacked or challenged. But by simply being mocked at, L wouldn't take it and move on. It was a very touchy subject for the detective.
"Master L, please, you can spar with him, but please don't use your ability. He's just as sensitive as you are with his pride, and if you ruin him, he'll never recover." Watari scorned with a deep and serious voice.
L paused in his angry march. "…Then I shall not use my ability. But so long as he is able to defend himself well enough, he won't suffer any injury."
Watari watched the detective leave. The Elder quickly turned to the cameras and turned a few of the screens to show the few set up along the hallway of Light's bedroom. He knew he could trust L to the fullest, but he had to make sure that nothing serious would happen between the two. Watari watched anxiously as L made his way closer to the loner's bedroom.
Light was casually dozing on his bed when a certain scent entered his nostrils. Instantly his whole body went rigid with a sense longing, lust, and passion flooded through his veins. His eyes widened, irises narrowed as blood red dominated his eye color and the golden and honey colors dissipated. He knew what was happening, he had seen it before. His intended mate was within range. All Light could do was scream.
He screamed and everything went red, the moment he blinked his eyes he realized he was on the floor leaning against the wall. His hand was shaking. He felt a claw mark on the wall that he made in his moment of rage. As Light leaned on the wall, he closed his eyes and took in any information about his intended, inhaling deeply.
Male, vampire, slightly older than him, knack for sweets, and stronger than him both mentally and physically. All of that information just from the intended's scent, the information confused Light. Why was his intended male, and stronger than him? Light growled at the thought of being dominated, he's supposed to be the dominate one damn it! The loner roared as he lunged for the door.
L caught the scent of Light, and he stopped immediately. His body went stiff, shivers of fondness, passion, and lust rushed through his veins like adrenaline. His knees buckled as his mind worked to figure out what was happening. It didn't take long for L to realize that Light was his intended. The second major hint was when he heard Light scream and raked his claw against the wall.
L couldn't move from the sheer power he heard and felt through the energy in the air. He knew he was stronger than Light, but the lone vampire was still almost equal to him in every angle of his being. L's sensitive ears heard Light panting, trying to calm himself from his small act of rage. Light's attempt failed when L heard the deafening roar and the door slamming against the wall ran through his ears.
Instantly L stood in a defensive stance, legs spread shoulder length part, arms raised, poised to defend himself. Light stood a few feet before him, his claws shaking. L thought he saw electricity spark between the fingers, but his attention was on the loner's eyes, not the claws. The eyes were a dark shade of red that L had never seen before. They were so dark, that by nearing the irises the color was almost black. L couldn't believe himself when his body shivered in lust just from the sight of those eyes.
"Why!? Why did I have to meet you now!? Not only can I extract my revenge for my family, I have to loose everything, everything to you!" Light roared on the top of his lungs.
L visibly shuddered from the sheer power and anger from those words. "Calm down Light—kun, you won't have to loose everything—"
"Yes I will! The moment you mark me, you'll know me! You'll know me!" Light screamed, barely able to contain a shudder of his own when L spoke.
"Light—kun, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm not going to mark you this instant. I have a very small amount of social experiences; I wouldn't know how to act around you." L tried to reason with his younger intended.
"Then. Get. The. Hell. Out of here!" Light hissed, one of his hands reached out for the wall for support.
L shook his head. "As of now, you can't hurt me."
The loner growled, baring his fangs warningly. L still didn't move, and Light launched himself to attack. The two moved in graceful movements, even though they were in such small space, Light made a move to rake his claw at the detective's face. L maneuvered his body to avoid the attack, while pulling his intended's body to the floor at the same time, and pinning him there.
Light growled, twisting to aim a kick at the other's ribs. L coughed and stumbled back to the floor. The younger vampire sat up, using his back legs to leap at the curled up man. L raised his legs up, preventing Light to successfully attack him, and used the force of his own legs to kick the loner away. Light hissed in pain when he hit the wall, trying to catch his breath.
"I'd never thought of being able to find my intended mate, for I am a hermit. But if I did, I would do my best to support my intended with any knowledge that I have to care for another." L said as he crawled closer to the wheezing Light. "I just never thought of the possibility that my intended would be as equal in intelligence and strength as I am."
Light growled, glaring at the other vampire and spat. "I won't allow you to become my mate, I still need to avenge for my family's death. You'll only get in my way!"
"Incorrect. With me by your side, I can help you solve the Diederich case faster. I have the resources, I have the power, and with our combined intelligence will bring down the man who planned everything. All I need is for you to trust me." L hissed back, ignoring the other's rudeness.
"Trust you!? How the hell can I trust you, when you already know my family name!?" Light kicked L's stomach. "In fact, I should tell you, that's not really our name. Sure, we built a reputation with the Diederich fortune, and our being an important part of the vampire government. Do you know why we were so successful? We had to hide our true identity right under the same government's noses. But even that couldn't protect us, now I'm the last of what once was of my family! The last!"
L calmly stood up, hand over his stomach that was surely bruising from the last kick. The words he couldn't quite understand what they were meant, but it sounded as if Light was holding yet another secret. The fact alone didn't surprise L at all, it seemed Light was an exceptional liar. He stared down at the still wheezing vampire, who no longer held anger in his eyes. Instead, there was something else in those eyes.
The caramel honey had returned, as well as a small portion of the golden hues. But the eyes seemed glossy, and it took a few moments for L to realize that Light was holding back tears. The tears of shame, agony, and built up stress from over the years of trying to forget.
"And to think…the last of my family's bloodline is reduced to this hideous being. And to have you as an intended…it should be a blessing that my father isn't alive to kill you. He disapproves same sex intended mates. Then again he thought highly of justice, so you might have been an exception." Light whimpered, as the tears began to fall.
L slowly made his way to his whimpering and crying intended. Although slightly awkwardly, he brought Light into his arms as he sat against the wall. Gently he poured the emotions of tenderness and calm through the air and into Light. Soon the younger vampire was able to calm down, his tears still flowing but his whimpers were reduced to small hiccups.
Light knew his emotions were being tampered with, but at the moment he didn't care. For the first time in many, many years, he was being embraced for the comfort he solely needed. Light curled up and nuzzled his head to lean on the other's shoulder for better comfort for his aching back.
Reluctantly, L gently ran his hand through the soft auburn hair. The action seemed to do its purpose, and Light's tears stopped some minutes later. The two remained there on the floor, the thoughts of finding each other started to sink in. L couldn't believe it, how was it, that his mate was so beautiful and terrifying, while he was practically a sweet toothed hermit?
Meanwhile Light saw nothing wrong with L. Sure, his posture may seem a little strange, and eyes that humorously reminded him of a panda, and that L's scent was covered with heavy amounts of sugar that usually made Light scrunch up with distaste. But somehow he found the scent quite to his fancy. And the eyes, Light thought they were adorable. When he was younger, he had a lovable panda bear.
Light chuckled lightly at the thought of his long forgotten bear. He hadn't seen it in years since he escaped the same horrible fate of his family. And when he was taken in by Mikami, he couldn't ask him to buy him a panda because of his pride. Light didn't want to seem weak to Mikami after the incident that changed their lives forever.
"What ever is so funny to laugh at a time like this?" L asked, breaking the silence.
"You…you remind me of this panda bear I used to have when I was little. Sayu loved it, and so I gave it to her even though it was my favorite pillow." Light sighed tiredly. "Ironic how my intended turns out to be my panda bear."
L frowned. "You're the second person to ever get away with calling me a panda."
"Let me guess, Watari was the first."
"You're sharp."
Light smiled into the plain shirt. "Who else would it be anyway?"
"True." L nodded.
"I never learned what happened to that bear, nor to the family mansion. I never did get to see the will father wrote." The young vampire shrugged.
That made L think, he remembered seeing a panda at that mansion when he visited it with Watari to check it out.
Flashback L hated to travel, his young stomach couldn't handle the motion of the rocking waves of the ocean. In fact, he hated to travel by carriage even more because of the bumpy roads, the hot air inside the carriage itself, and the cramped space that made his legs sore and uncomfortable. But he had to come along. Watari wished for him to come, something about his opinion for this Diederich Manor to be the second house for Whammy's Orphanage. L didn't care in the least if this manor was to be the second house or not, he just wanted the trip to end. "When are we going to reach our destination?" L groaned. "Actually we're at the front gates." Watari answered with a fond smile. Instantly the young vampire straightened up and peered over the old man's shoulder. Indeed, they had reached the property of the manor. And what a beautiful manor it was. At first it seemed dark, mysterious, and over all creepy. But upon closer inspection, it was rather the most attractive house L had ever seen. It had black oak doors, pure white granite bricks as the protective walls, two towers on either side of it made the manor look more like a castle. But the moment they stepped inside, the manor held no cold or dampness of a castle. It was warm, bright and colorful. The scent of the air was full of life, if not a slight hint of death and blood that had passed. "What happened to the family?" L glanced up at the Elder. "They were murdered. Soichiro Diederich, the head of the family and estate, was a dear friend of mine. He wrote that in the will, if all of the Diederich family perished, then this manor will be turned into an orphanage under my name." Watari elaborated with a feeling of sadness about him. "Is he half Japanese, half German?" L tilted his head. "Yes, but his wife, Sachiko Diederich, was pure Japanese." The Elder nodded. The two decided to explore the rooms. The furniture seemed a little old fashioned, but Whammy's will have enough money to buy new furniture. But most of them were in good shape, ready to take on the ages that are to come. L was sure the family was careful not to harm the furniture too much. When they walked into a particular room, L was stunned. Soft and beautiful furs covered the cold, granite tiled floor. The sheets were made of fine Egyptian cotton, and a few furs at the end of the bed in case the night was cold. A dresser sat across the bed, the wood a bright color of imported redwood. Toys were scattered neatly about the room here and there. But on the bed sat what looked like a panda bear. Watari picked it up, and held it out for L with a smile. "It looks like you." L pouted, but took it anyway. The little thing was soft, and obviously used a lot as a pillow for its stomach was almost flat. "This was a little girl's room. I heard that her older brother gave it to her even though he loved it dearly." Watari said fondly. L tilted his head. "Why did he give it to her then?" "Because he was the older brother, he's supposed to care for his little sister." The Elder explained softly. L still didn't understand, but he held the bear closer. End of Flashback
"Light…your family manor, it's now the second house of the Whammy's Orphanage." L spoke up. "And that bear, was the belly slightly squashed?"
"Yea, last I saw it, it did seem a little squashed." Light lifted his head up to gaze at his intended.
"I have it."
"…" Light opened his mouth to reply, when L's cell phone rang in his pocket. Embarrassed, Light lowered his head to lean it against the detective's shoulder while L reluctantly answered.
"Master L, Mikami finally returned our call." Watari said.
"When did he call?" L questioned.
"About thirty minutes ago. He explained he was heavily overworked with case after case thrown at him, he didn't have time to check his voice mails." The Elder explained.
"And you chose now to tell me?"
"You were in the middle of a fight." Watari remarked.
"Hm, true. And before you ask, we've settled down from the shock of being each other's intended." And with that, L hung up.
"You found out who my brother in law was on the first day I woke up?" Light gazed up at L.
"Yes. It was a small hunch, now I know that he is indeed your brother in law." The detective said. "It didn't take long, all I had to do was read little information, look at the picture, then criticize whether or not they match your description. I found nothing to criticize him about."
"I suppose that when I ran away he took his stress out on work." The young vampire sighed.
"It was his way of distracting himself so he won't call in the authorities. If he did, then they would surely find out that you are a Diederich." L pointed out.
"By the way…you said you have the panda?" Light returned his gaze to the panda—like eyes.
"Yes. It's in my bedroom."
For the first time in years, Light managed to smile a true smile.
Death: There. A tad bit of fluffyness at the end.
1) Kendo: A Japanese weapons martial arts. It's specifically used for wielding swords like katanas. But nowadays its just wooden katanas and possibly very few that can master the true katana.
2) Sambo: Russian (or at the time it was created, the Soviet Union) martial arts that is sort of a mix of Asian martial arts defenses, but it's mainly used for "self-defense without a weapon".
3) Aikido: A Japanese martial art meaning "The Way of unifying life energy". Its an art to defend onself while also protecting their attacker from injury. It's sort of a defense that is soft, swift, and enables to keep the opponent pinned to the floor to avoid injury to both.
4) Karate: Obviously, everyone should know. It's used way too much in movies. Why? Because it's easiest. To an extent. Sure, the simple punches, kicks, blocks, and cool stunts, but it's main objective is "the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathan which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and one's creative efforts". But mainly, self-discipline. I've been fortunate enough to reach brown belt, before the expenses became too high and my mom pulled me out. I was rather...rude as a young kid, and so my parents decided to enroll me into karate in hopes to rid myself from my rebellious attitude. It worked, and I really, really miss it. If you ever have the opportunity to enroll into karate, try it. You won't regert it.
5) Diederich: Yes, its German. In case you'll look up what it means (since most of you did for "Shisou", and by the way, most of you failed to find the right answer. Only one managed to get it right, but I'm not granting any of you the satisfaction as to who it is), its a German surname that means "skeleton key". Guess why I chose it, and you'll get a hug from me. Yea...not much but at least its better than a kick in the head. Believe me, its not pretty. And I don't like to brag, but I can kick like a horse.
6) I noticed some of you seemed confused as to why I chose Mikami as Light's brother in law. If you had a list, of people who understood Light, it'd go somewhere along the lines of this:
L, Ryuk, Mikami, Soichiro, Misa.
L, obviously, knew from the start that Light was Kira. Ryuk followed Light around like an evil puppy, but he's not so smart so he comes in second. Mikami, he has the ability to think exactly like Light. But he doesn't quite understand him as much like Ryuk or L, because they never officially met until the day Light died in the manga. Soichiro comes in fourth because he's smarter than he looks, and he adores his family, especially his son. But all the way until he died, he never believed his son to be Kira. That was his downfall. Misa is fifth, because well, she might be annoying, but she had her moments. She managed to pull through to make ends meet for Kira. Although she's not very smart.
So there. I hope that cleared any questions you have of Mikami. If I had chosen Ryuk...that would be totally weird and I don't think Light would have even stayed with Ryuk for long as a kid.
Now, without further ado, the Review button beckons you to click it for the hard work this authoress has done to update at 2:30 in the morning.