...Late upd8... .n. ... upl8.

This was all originally just one chapter but I split it because dear god it ended up long.

I've gone back and edited the original date of October 21 to October 24 for plot-hole reasons.

My main hope is that it doesn't feel like it's gone off track, or that everyone's decisions don't make sense/OOCness... I have just been staring at this for so long that I can't even tell if it's dumb anymore .A. Also, I apologize if there are any weird mistakes, because it's just got to the point where I can barely read it and I just reeeeally need to post it.

In any case, enjoy part 3: I expect at least one person to hate my guts, and I welcome you :D

[ III . i ]

One, two, three, four. One by one, each sugar cube fell into the cup with a plop. Four more, and L started stirring them into a sugary sludge.

It was late now. No one else was around. There wasn't anything left to do today. They were just sitting there listlessly, monitors off. Light would probably be wanting an early night.

L was slumped in front of his computer, staring into space. He knew the dots were joining too neatly. He knew that Kira had to have planned for this day to come since the very beginning. They'd finally get to find out how Kira killed – but it was hard to be enthusiastic about it when he could practically see the numbers on his days. At least, that was how it felt.

"Ryuuzaki…"

L heard Light's voice but wasn't quite snapped out of his trance and hummed in response, not paying attention. "Hmm?"

"…I don't know. That was good, wasn't it? I really think we'll catch Higuchi."

"Of course, Light-kun. Is something on your mind?"

"It's just… This is it. It's finally about to happen. I'm…"

L felt their chain tug from the other side and perked up, finally turning to look at the other.

"Ryuuzaki, can you listen for a moment? I'm scared," Light said, but a smile soon appeared on his face, and he let go of the chain once he was happy he'd gotten L's attention. "…At least a little bit, anyway. But… I'm also glad that I might be able to clear my name now. I'm excited for this, Ryuuzaki. This is everything we've been working towards for so long now, and I just hope I'll finally have a chance at coming out on top for once. Aren't… Aren't you excited too?"

Excited for the distinct possibility of his own death? L couldn't even think of a decent lie right now. He ended up staring into his tea blankly, looking back at his reflection. It didn't look very excited either.

Light's hands were on his shoulders and L was whirled around in his chair to face Light again head-on. "It's true that there's no way to know what will happen… I could be Kira. That's the biggest reason I'm scared. But remember the promise I made to you again, Ryuuzaki." Light took the chain between them and held it tight. But right now, we're going to get ready to catch another Kira, Ryuuzaki. Together."

Somehow, where there had only been a terrible hollowness before, L felt an inexplicable warmth. The look in Light's eyes made him feel like he could just believe him and forget all of his worries, and now he was scared too; he was scared of how dangerous that was.

But if he was going to die after all, did he really need to care right now?

Slowly L took hold of the chain too, his hand brushing against Light's warm one as he grasped it just as tight, unable to stop the faintest of smiles from appearing on his face. If it was possible, Light's eyes were even wider now - full of what could only be described as stars, and L felt he'd be worse than every monster he'd ever put away if he let his friend down right in this moment.

"We'll catch Kira together, Light-kun. I promise."

Against all odds, the dawn of October 25th broke in the sky.

L hadn't been there to watch it as it arrived; exactly when he'd fallen asleep he couldn't remember. He'd glanced across from him to see Light, also fast asleep, in his chair, head drooped against the armrest like he'd dropped off when least expecting it. Sleep had a funny way of doing that.

It'd been hard not to smile as he saw him. So hard, in fact, that he had – it was a small, private thing; nobody was watching, not even his own logic and reasoning, and he had it all to himself. The view of Light sleeping wasn't anything new to L, but with his face and hair bathed so appropriately in the golden glow of the morning sky from the windows, it was enough to make him both forget and violently recall the monster that he really was.

…To recall what he had just done.

L recoiled from Light's sleeping form, shifting uncomfortably in his scratchy rain-dried clothing as everything came back to him: the chill of the downpour running over his skin, the rough concrete underneath his feet. The feeling of warmth from arms around him, and of his own arms around that same warmth.

I need to re-think this starting from the beginning, was the first thing L told himself to try and cool his head again, already desperate for some tea with twice the usual amount of sugar. I'm... I'm still here. I'm not dead. I'm here, and now.

...And I wasn't in my right mind last night.

I was... guilty. I was overwhelmed. I was terrified and overjoyed to see him again, and, I felt... the need to apologize. I know that much - but it was a mistake. I wasn't supposed to do something like that. I wasn't supposed to complicate anything. But I did, and it can't be changed. All I can ask myself now is... What can I do? What will I do? I have to think quickly.

L knew what he wasn't supposed to do: he wasn't supposed to die again. He wasn't going to die again, because he didn't have to die again. Neither of them had to die again. That was what he'd decided, and if anyone could figure out to do it, it'd be him.

The skin on his wrist prickled as he felt the slightest movement in the chain. Light was awake, and he gave L a look but said nothing, heading over to the dresser to pick out some clothes before his usual early-morning shower. L glanced over at his back as the chain stretched between them.

"If you can't trust me, how are we supposed to work together? I respected you!"

"I told the truth when I said I was looking forward to working with you, and when I said I wanted to catch Kira with you, and when I promised we would meet the same fate –"

The memory of Light's heartfelt promise from the night before sent a numb stab through his chest. If it was possible, then Light deserved better. Better than what he became. But if there was even a chance of that happening, it was slim, and if L wanted him to cooperate, he needed to make some changes. He already knew what his first approach got him and would get him again, and there was no point in doing the same thing and expecting different results. He was more than willing to start taking some risks.

L needed... to gain Light's trust somehow. Let him in. Befriend him. It was what he'd already figured out Light had wanted, and if doing such a thing could possibly make him turn against the Kira side of himself even more...

The only problem with this being that he didn't exactly know how to go about it, to say the very least.

Just a 'Good morning' might be good enough for now, L told himself levelly, taking a deep breath through his nose before speaking up. Light turned around, eyes quickly narrowing in suspicion. He looked L over carefully, holding his gaze for a moment, expression neutral, but unable to hide the hint of confusion in his eyes.

He's wary of me, L thought. I can't tell exactly what he's feeling, but there is a thirteen percent chance it concerns my actions last night. He didn't understand me. Perhaps he thought I was playing a trick on him. I would be just as suspicious were I in his place.

Light then turned away again, heading for the bathroom door, and L got up to uncuff him so that he could get ready for the day. He kept his eyes fixed on the metal ring as he unlocked it in silence. As they went their separate ways, L felt like he had lost the other already. The feeling was like a nervous itch that wouldn't go away; being disconnected was too quick to remind him of their eventual separation after Light became Kira once again.

L sat alone after Watari arrived with the tea tray, wheeling it over next to him and giving him an odd look. Predictably, once he left, L's laptop soon lit up with the letter W in the center, displaying a question about last night's situation. He dismissed it as best he could with a vague answer and heard nothing more from his mentor. There wasn't anything he could tell him about this – no matter how well he tried to explain it. Everyone had limits to their suspension of disbelief, and no matter how overprepared they liked to think themselves, neither could've predicted needing a time-travel password. L was completely alone in this.

Alone, perhaps… save the Shinigami behind it all. He had no way of knowing if there were any in this room, watching him right now – in order to see one, you had to touch their Death Note. L quickly glanced over to the floor where the black feather had been before, but it was gone. He considered getting up to go find it, but just as he was about to move the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped and the door swung open.

He watched Light from behind as he changed after returning from his shower, thankfully unknown to him – though it wasn't like he'd be very surprised if he'd been aware of it. L still just needed to see him, he still needed to verify the unburdened innocence that seemed to permeate every one of his movements; the lack of that former telltale grace and arrogance. After being so unshakeably certain of Light's guilt at every waking moment of the day, it was quite the task to force his brain to think otherwise.

When L finally clipped the cuff back onto his partner's wrist he couldn't think of what to say. He stood there for a few moments in silence, staring into space.

"Aren't you going to get changed too?"

L blinked, eyes flicking to his cuff, then the chain, then Light. He unlocked himself before turning around and pulling off his shirt, seeing Light walk to the other side of the room out of the corner of his eye.

"I hope you were able to sleep well despite the disruption." L's voice was swallowed by the closet as he went over to get himself another identical set of clothes.

"I slept fine," Light politely replied, then paused. L could feel his gaze on his back. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about? You… were freaking out. And you separated us… You left me in here, alone, without surveillance. What's gotten into you, Ryuuzaki?"

L did a little jump as he pulled his jeans on, fastening them before cuffing himself again, then picking up his old clothes and placing them in the wash pile. "Light-kun knows that I'm occasionally stressed too. Being chained to another person twenty-four-seven isn't entirely healthy for anyone, even me – although it was my own idea."

"You were watching me in my sleep." L turned to see Light was now sitting with his legs crossed in one of the chairs by the window, coffee in hand.

"I must observe Light-kun at all times."

Light frowned, clearly unsatisfied. "…Of course I can't get a straight answer from you. If it's about Kira, don't I have a right to know?"

L began to head over, ignoring the tea tray. "Despite what occurred, I assure you I'm fine and there will be no disruptions to my work today. Everything will continue as –" L was cut off as he suddenly doubled over and sneezed loudly.

The two of them were left staring at each other in equal surprise for an awkward moment. For a moment it seemed like Light was going to say something, but the situation was, at least for now… strangely defused.

Neither said another word as they silently agreed to finally leave the room together, L silently cursing his decision to stay out in the rain.

The Shinigami World managed to appear even more dead than usual today, which was really quite the feat.

The usual crowd around the Human World portal had all dropped off like dead flies, fast asleep and snoring. Some lying down, some bundled up, some wrapped into their wings, but all bored out of their minds.

Ryuk oversaw the scene from his perch in a bare tree. He was admittedly almost bored enough to have a nap, too. Where was Kira, already? He was glad he hadn't been around to watch all this going on when Light gave up his note, or he'd have probably just put him out of his misery then and there.

The branch started moving, and Ryuk looked to his side to see the other Shinigami who'd fallen asleep while sitting next to him.

"Oi, Ryuk…" Gukku drawled, scratching his feathers and looking towards the portal with an annoyed groan. "Are they done with all that boring talking yet? I swear, it's like it's all that happens in this story."

Ryuk shrugged. "Humans talk a lot. Anyway, If they stop talking right now, they won't figure out how they're gonna catch Higuchi. You could try paying even a little bit of attention, y'know."

"But I already slept through this part last time, and it's too much effort to sleep through it again. These guys are all really boring."

Ryuk pointed at the portal. "It's L doing all the talking, though. I thought you all liked him?"

Gukku tilted his head indifferently. "Oh, so he is. I dunno, I just saw all those other boring humans walk into the shot and I got my snooze on."

"You're telling me you're so lazy that you can't even sleep?".

"…Something like that, I think."

Somehow, Ryuk found he was too disappointed to even laugh, instead just managing a bitter chuckle. "This place really is a shithole."

One, two, three, four. One by one, each sugar cube fell into the cup with a plop. Four more, and L started stirring them into a sugary sludge.

So far, so good. Everything's set up. I need to think more carefully about what I'll do once I get my hands on the Death Note again.

It was late now. No one else was around. There wasn't anything left to do today. They were just sitting there listlessly, monitors off. Light would want to get an early night soon.

Maybe, if I…

L tried to think more carefully on his future actions, but something was wrong. His head kept throbbing. His shirt was stuck to his chest with cool sweat, body flushed all over. Irritated, he tried drinking some tea, but it went down his throat like sandpaper and made him shudder in disgust.

L gave up on trying to think just for now and glanced over at Light, sitting in the chair across from him. He was staring blankly at his computer. The monitor had gone to sleep from being left too long, and he didn't even seem to notice L looking at him, completely lost in thought, until he spoke out of the blue.

"I could find more information from Yotsuba," Light said, still staring into space.

L swallowed some more tea to try and smooth out his throat a little, then shook his head. "We don't need that."

"…I could see if there's been more deaths. There could be something we've missed."

"There isn't anything."

Light frowned. He looked down, fingers tapping a rhythm against the handcuff on his wrist. After a few moments, he opened his mouth again. "I could…"

But L interrupted his train of thought, giving the chain a gentle tug to get his full attention. "Light-kun, we don't need to go anything now but wait."

Now looking over at L properly, Light was quiet for a longer time. His eyes soon darted aside. His fingers were shaking. "But I've done nothing."

L blinked at him. "Yes, you did. You contributed almost half of the plan, what are you talking about, Light-kun?"

Light's eyes darkened. "Are… Are you making fun of me? Is that a joke?"

"No...?"

"…I don't understand." Light swallowed, running a hand through his hair and pulling. "You just… said everything I thought about before I did. It felt like that. I'm not lying."

Said… everything before you did?

L's stomach twisted into a knot as he figured it out.

...Higuchi. I didn't even realise it, but I just talked over everyone. I remembered everything Light said from the first time, and I just... repeated it. I wanted to get everything over and done with as quickly as possible. I didn't want to waste any time. I… I didn't think I would upset him.

"I -" L opened his mouth, but before he could get anything out – "A…Achoo!"

…He was really regretting going out in the rain now.

Light shook his head, sighing, and turned away in his chair. "I just feel like I've done nothing to help catch Kira now… And it was my entire point for being here like this. I might have overreacted a little, but… It's just… This is it, right?. It's finally about to happen. I'm…"

"...Scared?" L offered. He saw Light's eyes widen, but continued before he could reply. "I know you are."

Light shook his head. "…A little. But… I'm also glad that I might be able to clear my name now –"

"The identities of the First and Second Kiras remain unconfirmed, Light-kun."

"…I know." Light turned to face L again wildly, the chain smacking against the table. "I know! I know you'll still suspect me and Misa no matter what! I don't expect you'll ever give that up, just please, let me hope for now, okay?! You have no idea how being suspected for so long like this, or any of this feels for me!"

L blinked, taken aback. This wasn't good. Right now, he knew Light trusted him even less than he did before, and had been wary of him since that morning. If he was going to try and get him to cooperate, he needed to act quickly.

He rolled his chair over close and peered down from his perched position, pulling the chain to force Light over to him.

"Ryuuza-"

L leaned in far enough that their noses almost touched, keeping the chain tight within his grasp. "I can say with one-hundred percent certainty," he breathed, "that Light-kun is not Kira – without a single doubt in my mind."

Light gaped, speechless, breath caught in his throat. "Wh… What? What are you saying?"

"Believe me – or don't. Do what you want. But I would never let myself become the friend of Kira, Yagami Light-kun."

Though still dumbfounded, Light was breathing again now. "What… What do you mean?"

L leaned back a little to put some breathing room between them and saw Light slump into a more relaxed posture. "We'll catch Kira together, Light-kun. That's what I mean." He gave the chain a squeeze. "I promise."

"I want... You'd better explain this to me." Light pulled the chain away and backed off, moving away in his chair, but seemed more confused than anything. "You were only just saying how I'm Kira, how can you just turn around and –'"

"Make no mistake. I'm not saying that the fact you are my suspect has changed. But the fact is that at the present moment, you are not Kira. This is the conclusion I have come to, and this is why I can allow myself to trust you."

"R…Ryuuzaki…" Light swallowed. "I don't understand."

L chewed at his thumb. "Didn't you want me to stop suspecting you, Light?"

Did Light just shiver?

"Yes, I… but you can't seriously expect me to believe -"

L thought for a moment. He quickly typed a message up on his computer, sent it, and then got down, taking Light with him as he walked off to the elevator.

Almost falling over, Light held on to something, yanking the chain to try and stop L in his tracks. "Hey! Where -"

"We'll talk upstairs," L explained, and the other soon reluctantly followed.

Once safely in their room, free from surveillance, L immediately shut the door. He whirled around, cornered Light against it; their eyes level with each other as he stood at his full height. Light instantly flinched back as far as he could go, mouth dropping open but L cut him off before he could react. "I said sorry, Light-kun, because of what I'd realised. I spent all this time testing you for nothing; even if it was necessary to determine your innocence, I staged that execution."

Bewildered, Light looked at him with an unreadable expression, breaths coming rapidly. L leaned in closer and held up his wrist between them, not breaking eye contact even for a second. "If it's what it will take for you to trust me, I will remove this chain."

Light blinked in disbelief as he registered the words, but quickly shook his head. "…No. You don't need to go that far. Ryuuzaki, I told you to only remove it if you were certain I was innocent… While you know I'm not Kira right now, we don't know what will happen. Wait until then to see, and only then."

"…I see." L then backed away, Light slumping down into a more relaxed stance. He started making his way over to the desk in the corner of the room, where his laptop sat. "If the two of us are going to survive this case, then I need nothing less than your complete cooperation and faith."

Light said nothing, keeping a wary distance as L opened the laptop and waited for it to start up.

"I don't see what you're trying to do, Ryuu –" Light blinked in confusion as L turned around and showed the screen to him. He pointed to something that had been typed in the corner of a document.

Still baffled, Light stared at the strange combination of letters. "What? What's that?" he tried to read it out. "L… Law.."

"It's my name, Light."

Light paused.

"L Lawliet," L read out.

"…No." Light almost laughed, shaking his head. "You'd never just tell me your name like that. This is just some test, right?"

L shut the laptop and put it back on the desk. "Light, the only people in the world who know my name are Watari, myself and now you. I don't even have a birth certificate. I am chained to you and constantly monitoring your actions. I informed him beforehand that I intended to tell this to you. Therefore, if I die, the only possible suspect can be you." L then turned to him. "Misa-san is also currently innocent. Since she has lost her abilities as Kira, I have no need to fear that she can know my name just by seeing my face. And, lastly – I'm not going anywhere out of this building until we catch Higuchi."

There was nothing but silence between them for a long time after that. Light stared at the ground, then the wall, conflict running through his eyes. Eventually, he finally looked back over. "…But your name can't be L."

L blinked. "Coming from someone with a name like your own?"

Light sighed. "Fair enough."

"There are far more unfortunately-named people in this world, Light-kun. I should really consider myself lucky."

Light dropped down, sitting on the bed and holding his head in his hands. "Alright, enough of that. I just… you told me your name!"

L tilted his head. "I explained my reasons."

"I know! Just…" Light shrugged. "Just like that…"

L stared at him. He was about to reply but Light's eyes suddenly widened and he jumped up off the bed, rushing over to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. "You idiot! What if I really was Kira and I somehow became him again? Then what would you do?!"

L remained limp in the other's grasp. "Convict you when it becomes obvious that it could only have been you."

Light's jaw dropped in disbelief and his hold tightened. "But you'd be dead!"

"…Yes?" L replied flatly. "Light, it's a failsafe."

Light continued gawking wordlessly. L let himself free, taking a step back and casually putting his hands in his pockets. "What I want is for you to trust me, and I have done everything I can."

"…So, you weren't lying. It's really your name."

A small smirk found its way onto L's face. "I thought I already went over that. Now: I know it's obvious, but you'll need to continue calling me Ryuuzaki."

To his surprise, Light soon had a matching one. "Sure, L."

L narrowed his eyes, but Light only laughed, heading over to the cupboard to get changed for bed. L was about to uncuff him as usual, but before he could do so, the other stopped him, holding his hand in place.

"Thank you," he said, eyes full of stars again.

L had a problem.

An uncomfortable feeling had taken hostage of his body since the previous night and refused to return it.

It was a lingering uncertainty that stuck to his mind like the gum under a table. He was supposed to be proud of himself - he'd just been successful in making sure Light wasn't suspicious of him anymore. This was… it was all just to gain his trust, right?

The problem was L wasn't so sure anymore.

He had no idea of how to be friends with someone, or what such a thing should feel like. He knew he wanted to be friends with Light: being chained together in close proximity twenty-four hours a day for five months was bound to bring out what you really thought about another person, and while he could feign indifference on the outside, the only person he couldn't lie to and convince was – and would always be – his own self.

But of course, this wasn't about what L wanted, it never was. It was about gaining Light as his ally; it was, in the end, still about defeating Kira, if indirectly. He couldn't let his own personal feelings get involved, or he would lose. He had to give Light only the appearance of what he wanted. If it meant L letting him a little closer to himself in a superficial sense, he didn't care. He would have to accept it.

This was where Light faltered originally when he became unwilling to use Misa for information, believing he would be lowering himself by taking advantage of her feelings – L had no such reservations. While this was new territory for him, he knew he wouldn't let himself fall. It was all for their own benefit in the end too: if L could save Light from himself, he would save his own skin from Kira, and then Light could be happy like the Light L now knew deserved.

Amazing was an understatement: Light Yagami was one of a kind, and a mind like his could not be wasted. If things had been different, L knew he would never want to be without him. When they got along, he…

It was no exaggeration to say L didn't even feel like he wasn't working alone.

But these feelings, these doubts about the task at hand had to be ignored at all costs. He had to remain calm, he had to remain careful and cautious, or he would fail.

Unfortunately, at least for now, being neurotic, paranoid, and apprehensive beyond belief, this was easier said than done.

L had another, less important problem, too. His throat had suddenly become dry ever since he'd gone out in the rain, and now he was coughing, his body was overheating, and his nose was running.

It was a fact that his immune system, it was sad to say, had always been terrible. There wasn't much else it could be for someone who preferred to stay shut indoors alone for days on end with limited human contact. Even at the orphanage, L kept very much to himself and the few times when he did interact with the other children, he would always end up catching something or other.

He'd caught a cold, and as per Japanese custom, had started wearing a flu mask over his face in order to stop the spread of germs, seeing as he certainly didn't need Matsuda taking sick days. Although if anyone was most likely to catch it, it'd be Light, seeing as they were no less than three feet away from each other at all times – and L could do without him catching it either, since they both needed to be at their best.

Speaking of Light, L turned to see him place his tenth cup of tea that day on the desk with an unmistakable smirk.

He'd already heard all the jokes about replacing Watari by now. And speaking of Watari, he'd begun sneaking vitamins into L's food and swapping out his regular strawberry cake for carrot cake. Earlier today, he'd tried to get him to eat soup, normal vegetable soup, and Light had watched him with such a shit-eating grin the entire time that L had to do it just to prove himself.

Which had only made the bastard even more amused.

L pulled his mask down with two of his fingers and took the teacup with another two, sipping. Thanks to the cold, he'd started drinking herbal tea instead, although with honey instead of sugar. "Thank you, Light-kun," he said with his scratchy voice, and narrowed his eyes as he caught the other trying to stop himself from snickering.

"It's your fault for going out in the rain, you know."

"That's a common misconception."

"You still caught a cold, Ryuuzaki."

Rolling his eyes, L pulled out his mask on its strings and let it smack back onto his face, intent on ignoring his third problem of unexpectedly sassy Light-kuns for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, much like the first, it didn't seem there'd be much in the way of a solution.

Ryuk watched the scene in front of him, thoroughly intrigued.

By now, the other Shinigami were all busy sleeping again – there wasn't much point in watching two humans doing the exact same thing, after all.

Or, as it happened, just one human.

Light was the one awake this time. He'd put L to bed early like a fussy mother hen, but didn't seem tired at all himself yet. He was just sitting there in the chair the other usually used instead, looking at him every few seconds like some kind of creeper.

"Figuring out the best way to smother him in his sleep, Light-o?" Ryuk called to the portal with a cackle. If only he could just come down there and see the look on his face.

Ryuk observed the portal intently as Light moved closer to the bed. He was staring at L's sleeping form. His eyes were so different than he was used to. It was amazing, really – Ryuk already knew how much humans could change after using the Death Note, but this was really quite remarkable. Heh, if only Kira could see himself right now! He'd probably wanna throw up.

But right now, he was looking at L with confusion in his wide eyes, and Ryuk had to really lean in close to hear him mutter under his breath –

"L... Lawliet."

Light then frowned to himself. Whatever he was thinking, it was probably something unrelated to murder.

He sighed, sitting back down on the chair and wrapping a blanket around himself, closing his eyes. Aw. Nothing much happened. Unfortunately, life in the human world was plenty boring in and of itself, too.

At least Ryuk knew he'd see Kira soon enough.