A/N: And here it is, the long awaited update! After seeing the results of the poll (thanks to everyone who's voted), I decided to put a little spoilers in it, not too much, so that people can still read the BB cases and wonder...Anyway. I've promised to give my Beta (Sazerac) a paragraph in the A/N, in return for a cyber Death Note, so here:
Yay! My awesomely awesomely genius beta has come up with a plot -gasp-. Yes, it does have a plot, believe it or not. We spent hours shouting it over, and there are still little bits that aren't patched up. But never worry, it shall be the best plot ever! -dramatic music-
Disclaimer: Fanfiction means 'fiction created by fans' and so it is determined that nobody on this site could own Death Note. I'm on the site, people.
AUness: Well, A ain't dead, B didn't kill people, and the Winchester Mad Bombings didn't happen. Okay? Ah yes, and this happens after Higuchi is captured.
After ten minutes of skilful navigation on Watari's part around what seemed to be an eternal maze, Light found himself inside an office. It looked like all offices should, although with absence of awards and trophies on the walls. Although fairly small compared to the rest of the House, three people seemed to fit inside with ease. There was a desk in the middle, as usual, and a man sitting behind the desk. He looked like the type to be a principal, with spectacles and white hair.
Watari and the 'principal' greeted each other like old friends, shaking hands and mumbling words of welcome. L was treated in the same respect, albeit a little colder. And Light was almost ignored completely.
"Take a seat, Quillish, L," the man said, motioning towards three chairs that had probably been put there for this purpose alone. Light reluctantly lowered himself into a seat, reflecting that 'Quillish' must mean Watari, for there was nobody else around. The man walked around the desk and sat neatly opposite them. It was almost like an interrogation.
The Principal smiled, commencing. "So, L's finally come to visit."
There was a moment of silence, before L replied, sitting in his usual position. He didn't seem angry about the abruptness, nor did he insist on being called Ryuzaki. "It's been a long time, Roger. I don't suppose you have cake around, by any chance?" he added slyly.
Light's brain worked out automatically that the principal must be Roger. The man in question merely chuckled, as if a request from the Greatest Detective in the World could be put off until later. "I'm afraid not, but I'll send someone to your room later. Will that suffice?"
L nodded, bringing his thump up to his lips. "Quite."
Roger leaned forward, all amusement evaporating from his eyes. Light could feel the room's atmosphere changing rapidly. Neither L nor Watari protested, so he kept his mouth shut. "So, L, what brings you to Wammy's House? Surely it cannot be the urge to visit your successors?"
The corners of his lips twitched. "Actually, Roger, I came to Wammy's House for help." At a surprised glance, L continued. "You must have heard of the murderer known as 'Kira'. And the media has also announced that I am incompetent on the case. Far from it. I have a suspect, who is sitting right beside me at this moment. Although he is only 6% suspicious, I have nothing else to go on."
Roger shifted his hard gaze to Light, taking note of the student for the first time. "And so you want to see whether your top successors share the same opinion of him," he finished. He received a nod from L.
"I told you we were coming in advance, Roger," Watari spoke up at last. "Have you prepared our rooms?"
At this, Roger was more reluctant, and he nodded nonetheless. "I have. But I am afraid that we are running out of rooms. Quillish, your room is where it was. L, I deeply regret to tell you that you will have to share a room with your suspect. Almost every orphan here shares a room, so I did not prepare any extra..."
Light inwardly shuddered and sneaked a glance at L. The detective didn't look worried, or displeased. In fact, he looked to Light as if this arrangement was perfect.
"That's fine, Roger. I would like to keep an eye on Light-kun here, too."
Roger looked tremendously relieved, as if he hadn't been sure how the detective would take it. "That's good, then. I'll send someone up later with refreshments." He handed L a map and two keys, and smiled.
--
The room, Light thought, wasn't too bad.
There was more than enough space for two people to live comfortably. The walls and bed sheets were a peachy white, and there was a single window in the room. The beds were positioned opposite the room from each other, and each had a desk next to the bed. This arrangement made it seem as if the orphans studied every night before going to sleep. Sure enough, the only thing on the tables was a lamp. Two wardrobes stood in each corner, with a bookshelf next to the table, to be easily accessible. Other than that, the room was bare.
All in all, it reminded Light of a hotel.
L seemed to fit right into it. He opened a suitcase (which had been brought up earlier) and grabbed a laptop and various documents out and laid them on the table the furthest away from the door. Which left Light to the other, badly positioned, bed. L stood on the chair, cocking his head to one side, before sliding evenly into his usual sitting position. With his left thumb in his mouth, he began to flick rapidly through the documents.
Light was left stunned and unable to do anything. He decided to unpack first. Maybe it would feel more like home after everything was laid out. He delicately lifted his folded clothes into his wardrobe, deciding to stick the packaged food on his table for now. His scientific books sat neatly on the bookshelf. When there was nothing else to do, Light sat on the bed and opened his mouth, about to try his luck with talking to L.
There was a knock on the door, breaking the still and slightly awkward silence.
"Come in," L called immediately.
The door creaked open, and a tentative brunet poked his head inside, intelligent eyes looking peaceful and still, like a pond of water. Light was reminded of the cliché proverb, still waters run deep. "L, Roger asked me to bring this up to you," the boy said, opening the door wider to reveal a clay tray piled with an assortment of sweets, cakes and chocolates. It looked like a pyramid.
L's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the boy put it down. "Tell Roger thanks." He scrutinized the boy closer. He looked about the same age as Light, 17, with dusty hair and curious blue-purple eyes. "You must be Alternate, or A, correct?"
The orphan bowed. "Yes. I am honoured that you've heard of me, L."
Light rolled his eyes and scoffed inwardly. It was as he had expected. They looked up to L like an idol. Of course, showing any sign of disrespect might lead to L raising the percentage of being Kira. He was already 6%, and Light didn't want it any higher.
"Roger always told me you were the perfect student, Alternate. Maybe you'll succeed me one day," L smiled quietly.
A blushed. He mumbled a reply. Light frowned and leaned fractionally closer, but didn't catch the murmur.
"So, Alternate, how are your classes going?" L asked innocently. "I heard that you were taking extra, because you were the best."
So A was the best in Wammy's House, was he? Light could feel a chuckle of evil laughter coming and, with some difficulty, suppressed it.
At that, A smiled weakly. "I'm doing alright, L. Although nowhere near as good as you, of course."
L patted his head affectionately. "Nonsense. You'll be better than me one day. Everyone here will." Light couldn't decide whether L considered this true, or if he was doing it to boost A's confidence. It was probably the latter, he decided. Surely not everyone at Wammy's House could be so smart. It was the first time that he realized just how powerful Wammy's House really was. The smartest children around the world – they were the world's brightest future! And they could be used for good or ill.
"L, I would be honoured to talk with you, but I have classes to attend to, so may I...?" A stared determinedly at his shoelaces, suddenly finding them of remarkable interest.
Almost immediately, L nodded at the unfinished question. "Of course. I wouldn't want your grades to go down because of me. You may leave now, Alternate." With another bow, A left, and the room returned to the silence beforehand.
L caught his roommate staring at him. "Is something wrong, Yagami-kun? Or did you not think of bringing any form of entertainment with you?"
Light gritted his teeth. In actual fact, he hadn't thought of bringing anything with him. He had merely assumed he would be babysitting orphans. Being stuck in a hotel room was not what he had imagined. There was way too much free time around here than he had expected. But no way was he going to let L know that. "Oh, nothing, Ryuzaki."
"Call me L here, please," the detective nodded, picking up a strawberry on the cake and dropping it into his mouth. "Everyone knows me as L here," he explained.
"Okay, L it is, then," Light agreed, feeling self-conscious. "So, L, was that person just then an orphan living here?"
L nodded. "That was A, the first child to ever come here. A stands for Alternate. Don't expect any real names here, Yagami-kun. Everyone addresses everyone else with codenames." He said it so calmly, as if it were a test for Kira, which it probably was.
Despite looking outwardly calm, Light was flustered. There went his chance of using the Death Note to control A. Maybe if he could just acquire the Shinigami eyes – no. That wasn't even worth thinking about. He was never going to give half his life span when he could use other methods. Besides, Ryuk isn't here anyway, and Rem would hardly agree to the request.
"So this A," Light continued, trying his best not to act suspicious. "You said he was the best. So does that mean he has the most potential to succeed you?"
L's eyes narrowed just a fraction. "You were listening very closely, Yagami-kun. I can understand your curiosity about how Wammy's House functions, but even so, your percentage of being Kira has gone up by another 0.6%."
0.6%. That was quite high, even if it didn't seem so. More than half a percent.
"But in fact," L continued on nonetheless, "it merely means that Alternate's mental capabilities outstrip the other orphans. However, whoever succeeds me is my choice alone. I could refuse Alternate and choose someone else if I wished."
Another fact that could be of importance. Light stored that away in his mind carefully. "He seems like a nice kid," he remarked casually.
L nodded absently, eyes glued to his work. Light sighed, giving up on making conversation and ended up counting the seconds that had passed. He counted up to 62 before he gave up.
"Ryu- I mean L, is there really nothing to do in this place except work?" he asked. Was he really expected to sit here for the next week or two doing nothing? It was boring, and Light hated being bored. That was too much, even for genius Yagami Light.
"Actually," L interrupted, and Light jumped, too engrossed in his thoughts. "I've been meaning to have a tennis rematch lately. How about it, Yagami-kun? Just for fun, of course."
Fun. Light wasn't even sure the detective knew what fun was. But he couldn't refuse. Besides, at least it was doing something. "If you insist," he agreed, rising from the bed. L set off without bothering to lock the door. Frowning, Light hurriedly jammed a key into the lock, turned it, and sprinted after L. The detective navigated the corridors like he had lived here all his life. The only explanation Light could come up with was that he had peered closely at the map beforehand. Without incident, the two of them made it to the sports shed, took out two racquets, a few balls and a net, and set off again.
Pi-k Poo! Pi-ki Pow!
L skidded to a halt, almost causing Light to bump into him. L's bulging eyes scanned the deserted corridors, for it was apparently class-time. "I did not just hear that," he muttered to himself, suddenly taking a right and speeding up.
"Huh? Hey, wait! L!" Light called desperately, attempting to catch up. Who would have guessed that the detective would be so fit, especially after eating so many sweets? As he rounded a corner, he almost bumped into L yet again. Looking around, Light realized they were in the kitchen. But the first things that caught his eye were two boys – both around the age of 14. One was poking his head into a pantry and muttering under his breath, and the other was a redhead with goggles and a DS, who looked up as they entered.
"B?" the redhead asked hesitantly, eyes widening behind golden goggles. "Wait, you're not B. You're...!"
"Matt!" the other boy snapped irritably, withdrawing his head from the pantry. He was blond, with hair unnaturally long for a boy, and was holding a startling amount of chocolate bars. "Didn't I tell you not to play games when we're –" He cut himself off abruptly, eyes glued to L. Light felt a little annoyed that he was being ignored. Usually he would be the one famous, and L would be the one feeling rejected, but not here. In Wammy's, L was the star.
"L!" the blond boy gasped in recognition.
"It's nice to see you too, Mello," L greeted back. "And this must be Matt." He indicated the redhead.
Matt blinked. "Woah! It's really L! I thought this was a joke someone would pull or something, but...wow..." He was stunned speechless.
"What are you doing here, L? Aren't you supposed to be working on the Kira case?" Mello demanded. "And who's that guy over there? Why are you holding tennis racquets?"
"This gentleman here is Yagami Light-kun," L introduced matter-of-factly. Light felt Mello and Matt's hostile gazes on him.
"Yagami?" Mello's eyes narrowed, a hint of contempt entering his voice. "He's Japanese, no doubt. Isn't Kira Japanese too?"
"Mello, you really should be a little nicer to the new orphans..." Matt interrupted. "Don't jump to conclusions."
The blond unwrapped a bar of chocolate and snapped it off, the sound echoing into the distance. "New orphans? Look at the way he's dressed, Matt. Formal suit, tie. Does he look like an orphan to you? He looks like a stuck-up, snobby person to me."
"Okay okay, just pointing something out, Mel. Chill." Without further thought, Matt buried himself inside his Nintendo once more, odd sounds erupting from the machine.
Light glared as Mello bit off another square of chocolate. He didn't particularly enjoy being called 'stuck-up' and 'snobby'. And he decided he definitely didn't like this 'Mello'.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Mello, Matt?" L asked, totally oblivious to the tension in the air.
Mello paused half-way through biting off another slap of chocolate. "Well, we originally were, but then we passed the kitchen and I really couldn't resist...Sorry, L."
There was a moment of silence as L stared at the chocolate bars long and hard, dark eyes almost seeming to penetrate the wrapping. "Well, why don't you hurry off to class now then?"
"Sure, sure! Just one thing, L," Mello lowered his voice, even though there was nobody else but Matt and Light here. "Just make sure you choose me over Near to be your successor, okay?"
L blinked, apparently not having expected this question. "When the time comes, I'll decide for myself, Mello. Now go to class before you get in trouble again."
Mumbling something that sounded remotely like 'stupid teachers' and 'don't need school', Mello trampled off, with Matt following behind like an obedient puppy. Light was starting to feel very rejected indeed.
"So, Yagami-kun, are we still going to play tennis?" L inquired innocently.
All feelings of rejection disappeared in an instant. "Y-Yeah, let's go then, L."
The grounds were right outside, and Light shielded his eyes slightly as they walked outside. Although it was an overcast day in general, he was unused to the lighting. He could already feel the sun pinned on his back as he set about putting up the net, with L watching. With only the occasional breath of wind and shout of birds, it was deadly silent. There was no sign of chatter coming from classrooms. Were the students all so disciplined, or had the teachers found another way to make them silent?
It was a while later that Light set up the net. By then, L was sucking on a lollipop. At a glance towards his opponent, Light couldn't help but feel irritated. There he was, doing all the work while L could sit back and relax, with all the students looking at him like God. And Kira was supposed to be God. He pushed down his anger, knowing that it will make L more suspicious, and asked in the nicest way possible, "L, I'm ready. Can we play now?"
With a nod, L rose from his position, grasping the tennis racquet firmly, and took a ball. Likewise, Light positioned himself at the opposite end and waited. He had beaten L before. It would not look suspicious if he could do it again, but not by too much. If L won, he may think Light was going easy, and so that proves further that he does not want to be suspected, raising the percentage of him being Kira. So either way, he had to either win or lose by a tiny margin to not arouse suspicion.
L tossed the ball into the air and slammed it with his racquet, and once again, Light was surprised by his sudden speed and strength. The ball shot past him. Annoyed at himself for forgetting L's athletic abilities, he was ready just in time to catch the second ball as it whizzed towards him. The force of the ball made him lose balance slightly, but then Light retaliated, stiffening his wrist and swinging in a smooth motion, allowing the ball to bounce off his racquet and over the net.
He only had a second to rest, before it was back again. It never ceased to amaze him how L could run so quickly without shoes, but right now, Light couldn't think properly. He just had to catch the ball, and not make it too suspicious.
Again and again, the ball bounced from the two geniuses, sometimes speeding faster than the eye could see. It took all of Light's concentration just to hit the ball, and even then he often missed by an inch. L's score was growing steadily higher.
The tennis ball rushed towards him again. Light raised the racquet firmly, grasping it with both hands and positioning himself perfectly. His wrists tensed, ready to take on the weight of the furious ball. He felt it slam into his racquet, and instinctively swung...
"So A was right. L has come to Wammy's House after all!" came a surprisingly cheerful voice.
Shocked by the sudden intruder, Light felt the energy vanish from his wrists immediately. The ball flew weakly, and slammed into the net. Pathetic.
But he would worry about that later. What mattered now was whoever had just spoken. It was still time for class. And there was a tint of something in the voice that Light didn't like. Who would be out here?
Light spun around, eyes darting and looking for the intruder. His eyes widened.
"Hello, Backup," L mused, sounding pleased.
Standing just outside the lawn was a person. But not just any person.
He was standing with a hunch, with black spiky hair, light jeans and a white T-shirt. Crimson eyes, surrounded by a dark frame, looked up at Light cunningly.
It was L.
A/N: I done desu. I bet you just can't guess who the person was, especially since I did mention his name. Well, here's a hint: KYAHAHAHAHA! Oh yeah, thanks to Sazerac for the charicterization of A. (there, one sentence, happy?)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. See, it's not that hard, typing in a couple of lines, and then pressing submit.
Um...do it? Yup! Um...a cyber pile of sweets for you? (The one A was carrying)
So the point is, review.
~C
