Chapter 6

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Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

Light looked up as the sound of his door opening was heard, and the familiar figure of Mikami stepped forwards, along with a few of the guards his Second-in Command had employed.

One of them was carrying a lanky, black-suited figure, and excitement surged through Light, making him catch his breath as he set his pencil and the Death Note aside.

L.

"Kira-sama," Mikami said, giving a low bow, the rest of his guards doing so as well, the one carrying L doing his best to do so without dropping the figure on his shoulder. "We've brought you L."

"Bring him here," Light said, trying to suppress his excitement as he stood up and walked around the desk, never taking his eyes off of L. For so long, he'd waited for this day, for the day that he would finally get to unmask the infamous L, to see him finally brought down to his knees, at Kira's feet.

It was a most glorious day.

The guard carrying L complied, coming closer and sliding L off of his shoulder, onto his feet.

The lanky form of his rival swayed unsteadily before righting himself, though Light noticed, as he raked the man's form over once, that he seemed to be swaying on his feet, and was favoring his right leg.

Mikami said that he had been injured while fleeing, and that was probably it. He had been shot in the leg, and that was most likely the cause for L's unsteadiness. Pushing aside his worries for the moment, Light allowed himself to bask in the glory of his victory.

And finally, finally, he was able to address L, his rival, his menace, in person.

"L," Light said, and the man lifted his head slightly, but not enough to see his eyes, or any of his masked visage. The effort alone, actually, looked like it took great effort, and Light frowned at that. He had been expecting more out of the great L, more defiance. This silence didn't suit him at all.

"Finally, we meet," Light said, pressing forwards, relishing finally being able to say the words.

There was still no response from L, though, but Light was not deterred. He stepped forwards, and reached out to rest his hand almost reverently on L's neck, where the edge of the black mask lay. He paused for a moment, amber eyes flicking up to see if there was any change in the position of L's head, but it remained bowed, eyes hidden from his sight.

Then, almost trembling with anticipation at finally being able to unmask the greatest criminal to have ever challenged, him, Light grasped the edge of the mask firmly and slowly drew it up, revealing L's face little by little, until it slipped fully off, and Light tossed it to the side, uncaring of where it landed.

Reaching out, Light placed a single finger under L's chin, and pressed upwards until L lifted his head, and for the first time, the face of Light's greatest rival was revealed to him. L's wide, obsidian-black eyes stared calmly into his, not a single emotion present in the fathomless black gaze.

"Finally," Light breathed, eyes hungrily scanning over L's face, taking every detail into account and committing it to memory, a twisted smile appearing on his lips. "The face of the great L, revealed at last. I've waited for this moment for years, waiting to see what you were like in person, wanting to see the face behind the mind that taunted me so cruelly. And what a pretty face it is," Light continued, stoking a thumb along L's jawline.

Something flickered in L's black gaze, before it was gone, hidden under blankness once more. Light saw it, though, and delighted in it.

"So pale and pretty," Light whispered, before his hand seized tight around the sides of L's face, causing an almost certainly unplanned wince of pain to cross L's face. "But so delicate, it makes me wonder how easy it would be to crush you in the palm of my hand," Light smirked cruelly before releasing L, stepping back.

"Looking at you… it almost makes me sick, seeing how skinny and fragile you look. I had hoped my rival would be more substantial, more equal to myself. It's almost detestable," Light mocked, elation at his victory making him cruel.

L, however, didn't respond to the taunts, instead giving a sigh and a little shake of his head, as if to clear it.

"Then detest it all you wish, Kira. If you remember, I live to displease you," L said quietly, his first words spoken, and Light repressed a shudder at hearing the true voice of his greatest rival for the first time. There was some sort of inexplicable thrill of being here, finally able to experience meeting his rival in person, of seeing the true man behind the mask and the distorted voice that sent such mocking, horrendous messages.

L's quiet, bland baritone pleased him for some reason- it was the perfect voice to go along with his rival- perfectly emotionless, it spoke of many emotions and inflections that were hidden beneath the surface, and suddenly, all Light wanted to do was dig deeper, find out more about the mysterious man that had plagued him for so long.

"I can guess what you have in store for me, Kira," L continued, tone as bland as ever. "Although, I do admit to being curious as to how and when you plan to kill me. I will not give you my name, so you cannot use the Death Note. So how will it be?" L pressed, calm despite the fact that he was talking about the methods of his own death. Fascinating. "Will it be the electric chair? Lethal injection? Or will you take a page from the medieval ages and hang me for all of the world to see? Lop off my head and impale it on a spike, put the trophy at your front door?"

Light chuckled, unable to help himself. "What are you talking about, L? I'm not going to kill you- at least not yet. You could be quite the valuable source of information, or at least a source of entertainment. No, you won't die, at least until you're not useful anymore."

"And what makes you think I'll give you any information? And how do I know that you aren't lying, and plan to kill me as soon as possible?" L questioned quietly.

Light smiled. "Because I'll hunt your other associates down if you don't," he said matter-of-factly. "I know your base is in the sewers somewhere- I'll search for years if I have to, rip apart the sewers tunnel by tunnel. I have the resources and means to do it, and I will."

"They'll be long gone before that happens," L replied, then sighed. "I'll be of no use to you, and if you want to kill me yourself, you'll want to do it quickly."

Light's brows furrowed- he didn't know what L was talking about. "And why is that?" he questioned.

"I was shot in my upper thigh- the bullet lodged in the bone, but it came free, and I'm afraid all the shifting around caused by the movement from walking and being carried has made it tear something. I was losing blood before Mikami captured me, and after his gentle treatment, the rate of blood loss only escalated. If I've done my calculations right, my body will be at its limits and the lack of blood in my body will cause me to pass out in about seven seconds," L explained calmly, body already wavering.

"Wha-?" Light started, alarmed, but then L's words sunk in, and he rushed forwards, even as L crumpled to the ground, landing on his side.

Mikami and his guards moved forwards, as well, but Light quickly stopped them. "No!" he barked, holding up his hand. "I'll deal with this," he said, dropping to his knees and bending over L's unconscious figure.

Reaching out, he rolled the masked man onto his back, and then reached out tot the red-soaked gauze he had failed to see earlier in his elation. Anger surged through him, at both Mikami, L- un, though he was unwilling to admit it, himself as well.

Mikami was an idiot for not realizing L was about to pass out from blood loss, and L for not bringing it to attention, even though he knew L never would have. If what he knew of L so far held true, the man was far too proud to admit he was wounded in pain, and honestly, Light would have been disappointed with this sign of weakness from the rival he viewed as almost infallible.

And the anger at himself for not being aware of the dripping red bandage that was wrapped around L's thigh. He had been so excited, so high from his victory over L that everything else but the man's prescience had failed to catch his attention.

Unwrapping the bandage, he tossed it aside, only to curse as he saw the raw, red-edged hole that was ripped into L's pale thigh. The edges were a bright, angry red, and crimson blood leaked out of the wound at a steady rate, not pumping out, luckily, but at a large enough rate to make Light worry.

Angry at Mikami's carelessness, he leveled a glare upon his now-quailing Second-in Command. "You knew of this wound, and you did nothing to address it? Surely, you would have seen the signs of him weakening- I did, as soon as your bumbling guard let him onto his feet," Light sneered, and Mikami bowed low, groveling.

"Many apologies, Kira-sama. My only thought was of getting him to you, and-"

"Silence," Light said coldly, cutting Mikami off. "We will talk later, after this issue is resolved. Go tell the doctor to prepare for the removal of a bullet, and have a room prepared in the infirmary. And take your guards with you," Light ordered.

Mikami bowed and withdrew, his guards following him, Leaving him alone with his unconscious rival.

Light gazed down at L, taking a moment to savor the position. L was finally in his hands, helpless, neutralized. No more would this man plague and nettle him, send him taunting messages and vandalize his property.

It was a powerful feeling, holding sway over the greatest criminal to ever rebel against his noble cause, and Light savored it fully.

Everything about his rival was absolutely perfect, better than Light had ever hoped, dreamed for it to be.

The pale, perfect skin of his rival was a glorious contrast for the ink-black, fluffy spikes that adorned L's head, splaying out on the ground and falling gently across his face. Thick black smudges lined L's eyes, contrasting sharply with white skin, creating a beautiful monochrome of the two stark colors.

Light smiled a she ran a hand over L's eyelids, watching as they twitched at the touch. L has eyelashes like a girl, Light thought almost amusedly as he ran a thumb over them.

"Glorious," Light breathed, eyes scanning over L's face. "All these years of irritation, annoyance, they were all worth it. I do hope you choose to join me," Light murmured, his mind racing, making plans, plans in which this fascinating man was at his side, using the no doubt brilliant brain he possessed to serve Kira for the bettering of the world, "for it would be a shame to kill you."

Taking one last, good look a the unconscious visage of his rival, it was with some reluctance that Light slipped his arms under L's body and picked him up, cradling him almost gently, before heading down to the infirmary.

Although, he thought idly as he stepped out the door, it was odd that he hadn't seen Ryuk for awhile….

Which was because Ryuk was not in the vicinity- not even close, in fact. As soon as Light had told him of the man who possessed the Shinigami Eyes without being a bearer of the Death Note, his interest had immediately peaked.

The tale that he had told Light of the Shinigami that had dropped his Eyes to Earth hadn't been made up, and it was true that none of the Shinigami knew what had happened to the Eyes- it was a mystery that had never been solved. The possibility that the human that had encountered the Eyes and gained their power was here, in Japan, was worth looking into, if only to put to rest his own rising curiosity.

Truth be told, he knew exactly where L's base was located- he just had no interest in telling Light. Doing so would mean L's capture, and the end of Ryuk's form of entertainment watching Light continuously be frustrated by the criminal. Plus, way back in the beginning, Ryuk had pledged to neither help nor hinder Light, and telling him of L's base would most definitely be helping the holder of his Death Note.

So now, he flew across the city, and when he was above where he knew L's base to be, he dove down, phasing through the cement and brock walls that would have impeded his way if he were a human. He twisted through the complicated twists and turns of the tunnels, until he reached the heart of the systems, where L's headquarters were located.

Invisible and intangent to those at base, Ryuk floated along the halls, peering into face after face of the members of L's team- but they all stared through him, unseeing.

Getting annoyed at not finding the one he wanted, Ryuk decided to check out one last room, and if the man with the long-lost Eyes was not found by then, he would simply come back tomorrow.

Idly, he listened to some snatches of the conversations going on around him while he floated along the walls, growing more interested as time went on by what was being said.

"…Beyond was in really bad shape, wasn't he..."

"…Heard it took Watari while to dig that bullet out…"

"…Can't believe L's gone… "

"…My question is, why couldn't B see that L's lifespan was going down and do something? I mean, obviously, now that Kira has him, it's only a matter of time before he's eliminated…."

Ryuk smiled sharkishly at the new developments he heard were going on.

So, the base was in an uproar because L had been captured? Light's plan had worked, then.

And that little tidbit about this B seeing L's lifespan… It was obviously the man with the Eyes. And if he was wounded, then he was most likely
in the infirmary. Ryuk had been here once or twice before, and knew where it was.

Grinning, Ryuk flew straight to the infirmary, delighting in the way things had been turning out.

It was a bit sad that L had been caught, yes- it would end his amusement at seeing Light so frustrated day after day. But, on the upside, if L was anything like the messages he sent Light- taunting, mocking, and challenging- the two being in close proximity would no doubt be highly entertaining, and Ryuk really wanted to be there to see that.

So.

See this human quickly, perhaps chat a bit, and fly back to watch the encounter between L and Light.

Right.

Chuckling to himself, he floated through the wall to the infirmary, hanging back silently as he heard hoarse yelling.

"…Don't care if he bucking asks you to martyr him for whatever goddamn reason his idiotic mind can think up! If you ever, ever, do something like this for L again, if-when- we get him back, I fucking swear, Watari, that I will kill you myself!"

A soothing, low voice, too quiet to make out individual words came then, obviously trying to calm the yelling one down.

"I don't give a shit if he's your superior! God! We lost him! I lost him! Do you know how much this hurts, to be separated from him?!" The voice cracked near the end, and a sob came, full of despair. "You can't imagine… God, I'm lost without him… it hurts so badly, you can't even fucking fathom how much this hurts… God… And I feel like a failure- it should have been me, why couldn't it have been me?! L…. I…Shit…"

The voice trailed off, the occasional sob heard, and that low voice came again once more, before the door to the infirmary opened, and an elderly man that Ryuk had seen once or twice came out, bloodsplattered and weary.

Ryuk watched him go, sidestepping before the human could walk through him- apples, he hated it when humans did that!

After the human was gone, Ryuk returned his attention to the infirmary, listening to the muffled, cracked sobs coming out of the room.

If what this guy was saying was any hint, coupled with his reaction, he had to know L. And, after what he ad heard, if the man with the Eyes was in the infirmary, and this was the guy he was talking about…

The man with the eyes had close connections to L.

Ryuk grinned.

Desperation made humans do amusing things, and the thought of a hell-bent human with the Shinigami Eyes out for Light's blood was going to make things so interesting. So much fun.

Apples, he loved the human world.

With that thought firmly in mind, Ryuk floated into the infirmary, taking a moment to examine the human that held the Eyes before he was noticed. Black, spiky hair, pale skin, lanky form with a thik white bandage wrapped around his waist, dark circles around reddened eyes- No, Ryuk realized, the eyes were slightly bloodshot from the crying, but the man's eyes were red.

Shinigami Eyes.

Or… an albino with dyed hair?

Well, only one way to find out.

Ryuk coughed once, causing the man to look up, red, shining eyes widening in shock.

Yep. Definitely the possessor of the long-lost Shinigami Eyes.

And the only thing that would make this situation better would be if-

"Shinigami," the man breathed, disbelief evident on his tearstained, distraught face.

Ryuk smiled, ever-present grin becoming only more wider.

Apples, this was going to be fun.

Humans were so…interesting…