Chapter 8: I'll be Your Friend
"I'm pretty excited to be meeting Ryuzaki today, you haven't stopped talking about him since you mentioned that you invited him over for dinner," Sachiko commented while preparing supper. Light was in the kitchen as well, and he was assisting her with the cooking. Light remembered how he used to do this all the time as a teenager. When he was younger, he often stood at the kitchen counter to slice some vegetables or stir whatever soup his mother was making that day, all to help his mother since she was always running low on time, and he was forever glad that he had helped his mother cook in the past. Cooking with his mother taught him how to make decent food, which made his transition from living with his family to living on his own much easier.
Still, he thought that his mother's cooking was the best in the world, and no matter how many years he had spent preparing meals with her, his mom's cooking skills would always be superior. It was natural to prefer her cooking, really, because not only did she have more experience than Light, but most children thought that their mother's cooking was the best.
Anyway, returning from the nostalgia-fueled memories of how he and his mother used to always spend time in the kitchen together, Light was currently watching over some fish boiling in a pot. The pot was relatively big, but it didn't contain so much stew that his family wouldn't be able to finish it in the span of a few days. The soup in the pot was simmering, and the fish was almost done. After spending so many years watching fish boil under the guidance of his mother, Light knew exactly when the fish would be ready. He only had to wait approximately five more minutes, and then he could turn the heat off and join Sayu and his dad at the dinner table.
Sachiko, as she chatted with Light, sauteed some vegetables in a wide pan, and she stood to Light's right. The pot she was cooking the vegetables in gave off a sizzling sound, and the aroma of the food his mother was making made its way up to Light's nose, causing for his stomach to audibly growl.
"Hold on, I need to get something from the fridge, could you watch over the stir-fry for a moment?" Sachiko requested as she headed towards the refrigerator.
"Yeah, no problem," Light nodded, and he split his attention between the two dishes that were being cooked. He waited for a few seconds, but noticing that his mother hadn't come back from across the room yet, he turned around to see if anything was wrong. "Hey, mom, is anything wrong?"
He heard a rustling sound, followed by the closing of the refrigerator door, and he found his mother scrambling back to him, a slightly stressed expression on her face. She looked a bit worried, although Light could tell from his mother's small frown and the way her eyes weren't all-out panicking that the problem wasn't so major that it would cause for the world to end or something as big as that. It was just a minor implication. She was most likely missing an ingredient for something, or perhaps a cockroach that somehow had manged to sneak in was hiding under a surface.
"Light, sorry if this is going to inconvenience you, but I checked the fridge and realized that we're out of tomatoes. I swear we still had a few yesterday; maybe something happened to them, or maybe I used them up without knowing, but could you run to the store really quick to buy some?" his mother pleaded, although Light was aware that his mother already knew his answer.
"Yeah, sure thing," he smiled, hoping to calm her nerves. Even though his mom was relatively excited about Ryuzaki's visit, Light could tell that she wanted to make a good first impression on him. "Don't worry, it's not inconveniencing me in the slightest. The grocery store is only about two blocks from here."
His mother sighed in relief, and she wiped off some of the sweat that was beading onto her forehead, "Thank-you, I know I can always count on you for these types of things."
"No need to thank me, it's completely normal to be missing some tomatoes every now and again," Light pleasantly chuckled to ease the apprehension in his mother. He didn't want her to feel so stressed. Ryuzaki wasn't really the type of person to judge you just for missing some tomatoes as far as Light could tell, not that Light was sure Ryuzaki would even eat said tomatoes. From his observation of Ryuzaki, it didn't appear that he ate any sort of healthy food whatsoever, although he could be wrong. Who knows? Although, Light remembered how relieved Ryuzaki looked at the park when he mentioned that his household could handle Ryuzaki's sugary diet, so it was unlikely that Ryuzaki had normal eating tendencies.
Just as Light was about to exit the kitchen, get his coat and wallet, and walk to the store, the doorbell rang. "Oh my, he's here earlier than I expected," Sachiko widened her eyes. She looked at Light, and Light non-verbally promised her that he would be back soon.
From the other room, there was the sound of pounding footsteps, probably Sayu's because she was the only one in the family who would run inside of the house just to get the door, and Light heard the sound of the door slamming open, another key indication that Sayu was the one at the door because, again, she was the only one in the family who opened doors that loudly. The third hint that it was Sayu who rushed to the door and not his father was the obnoxious, sing-songy voice that echoed through the home.
"You're here!" Sayu's voice was muffled slightly because she and Light were in different rooms, but he still heard her pretty clearly. "Light won't shut up about you! He's been talking about you all week and how you beat him twice at chess, and frankly, I don't believe him, because he's way too much of a genius to ever lose a game of chess!"
"Don't forget that your brother also won two games against me. The final score, after all the games were accounted for, was a tie, so I suppose you can say that both of us are equally matched," a familiar deadpan rang in Light's ear. It was undeniable that Ryuzaki was the one who had just uttered that last sentence.
Light could hear Sayu snort, and just as he was about to step into the hall that lead to the entrance of his home to inform her about manners, he saw two shadows creeping towards the kitchen.
"So this is the guy you invited over to dinner?" Sayu suddenly appeared at the doorway of the kitchen. She entered the kitchen and leaned against the wall, and she pointed to Ryuzaki, who trailed right behind her. Ryuzaki waved but otherwise remained silent. He wore the same outfit as he did last week, which consisted of a jacket loosely wrapped around his way-too-big-for-him white shirt and a baggy pair of jeans that practically dangled from his hips. He stood barefoot next to Sayu, and he was staring at his toes as if they were the most interesting things in the world, wiggling them around like he was stretching them.
Light approached Ryuzaki, shooting Sayu that look, but decided to chat about the way she greeted Ryuzaki later. Light didn't want to ruin Ryuzaki's day just because he and his sister couldn't get along for one evening.
"Hello," Ryuzaki's choice of tone was a peculiar mixture of formal, monotone, and quiet, but it was so very, very Ryuzaki. Light found Ryuzaki's voice to be quite interesting, really. It was deep and smooth, but it still had an undertone of oblivious innocence. Most of all, though, it was extremely easy to identify Ryuzaki's voice. It was distinct, different, and even if he changed the pitch and sound, you would still be able to tell that it was Ryuzaki straight away.
"Hi, it's nice to see you again," Light greeted.
"Likewise," Ryuzaki replied. His face was neutral, his words lacked even a hint of emotion, and probably not even the top experts in the field of reading and understanding body language would be able to conclude what was running through Ryuzaki's head at the moment.
Judging from the way his sister's arm twitched, Light was certain that Sayu was more than a bit unnerved by Ryuzaki's lack of emotional expression, but Light believed that she got what she deserved for being so disrespectful to Ryuzaki at the door.
Light wasn't too nutty about other people's manners; his sister, in the twenty years she had been alive so far, tested his patience plenty of times and taught him to not mind it when people forgot small formalities or didn't have the best courtesy, but he would always be unable to stand people who were rude to others. He hated it when people were horrible to each other. The world had enough problems, and everyone hating each other didn't have to be one of them if only everyone learned a bit of respect.
"Well, I'm going back to the table," Sayu turned on her heels, strolled out the kitchen, and she whistled while she walked out, signalling to Light the extent of her discomfort around Ryuzaki.
"I apologize if my presence has made your sister feel uncomfortable," Ryuzaki commented. Light shuttered. Based on what Ryuzaki just said, it was like he could read Light's mind. It was either that or the fact that Ryuzaki was obviously good at reading people.
"It's fine," Light tried to reassure Ryuzaki. Light was interested in forming a bond with the fellow detective, so alienating Ryuzaki from his family wouldn't do any favors if Light wanted to get closer. After all, Ryuzaki, even though he was quite strange, was also very, very interesting. Ryuzaki was very, very cute, too, but Light had been trying to let go of that thought for the past few days. If he paid too much attention to that thought, it would undoubtedly make things more awkward than they already were, and increasing the already strong air of uncomfortable feelings was the last thing on Light's mind. "Don't worry, my sister sometimes isn't very polite."
"Oh, that's quite alright. If I'm to be honest, my manners are extremely lackluster," Ryuzaki shrugged, and he tilted his head down so that he and Light weren't making eye contact. Ryuzaki didn't say anything for a while after that, but Light's mother came just in time to ease the tension.
"Oh, Ryuzaki, I'm so glad to finally meet you," she began, giving Ryuzaki a bright smile and shaking his hand eagerly. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, once Light gets back from the store with tomatoes."
"You're going to the store?" Ryuzaki asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yeah, want to come? If you want to that is," Light offered. He walked past Ryuzaki to the front door, and he grabbed his coat and knitted wool hat that were hanging off the coat rack.
"Well, I might as well," Ryuzaki met Light at the front door, which Light had already opened. "I already have my coat on, anyway."
"Okay, be safe, boys!" Sachiko called out from the kitchen. Light then heard the clatter of some pots, and he assumed that his mother was going to made an extra side dish while they were gone.
"I think I still owe you for holding open the door for me the last time we met," Light said as he stepped out, holding the door in place so that Ryuzaki could exit without much of a hassle. Light could've sworn that he saw Ryuzaki's cheeks momentarily flare up in crimson, but he must've been seeing things since Ryuzaki had the ultimate poker-face.
They were out on the street, and they didn't say anything to each other for a while. Both were just enjoying the silence, and Light watched the gentle snowfall as they walked. Because Ryuzaki was most likely not very familiar with this area, Ryuzaki remained a few steps behind Light, his hands buried in his pockets. It was pleasantly quiet, and there wasn't too much commotion going on in the streets or sidewalks. Every once in a while, someone would pass by, but most of whoever that Light saw walking by was alone or in a very small group, as it wasn't the ideal weather for hanging out.
After they walked the two blocks they needed to in order to get to the store, Light turned to Ryuzaki, who was still a few paces behind him, and said the first bit of small talk that popped into his head, just to be friendly, "You know, Christmas is coming up soon."
Ryuzaki, despite the fact that he still needed to catch up to Light, stopped for a few seconds to stare. He eyed Light down with those huge, shimmering eyes of his, the eyes that Light found interesting and irresistible. They were enticing, curious, and that pair of wide, black eyes was the only barrier between Ryuzaki's thoughts and the outside world. Light would've loved to have known what happened in Ryuzaki's fascinating brain, for lack of a better term.
Yes, fascinating was one of the only words Light could use to describe Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki was so unique, so complicated, and his personality refused to be categorized. Ryuzaki was just... Ryuzaki. Light simply couldn't put Ryuzaki into words, and if adjectives that could accurately describe who Ryuzaki was existed, those adjectives, too, would be utterly fascinating. Everything about Ryuzaki was endearing, interesting, fascinating, and... cute. "Yeah," Light heaved on the inside. "My thoughts are going there again. Great job, brain. Great job for making me feel this way around Ryuzaki. I mean, what do I even feel when I'm around him?!"
Light sighed before he could stop himself. The thought of Ryuzaki being cute kept creeping into his head no matter how much he tried to push it away. He didn't get deeper into his thoughts, though, because Ryuzaki was beginning to reply to Light's earlier statement.
"Yes, the holidays are quickly approaching. Christmas is next week. Too bad I don't celebrate Christmas, or any holiday for that matter," Ryuzaki seemed to have tacked on that last part about him not celebrating Christmas as an after thought, but for whatever reason Ryuzaki had decided to mention that he didn't celebrate holidays, Light was more surprised than anything else. Sure, during the three weeks he had known Ryuzaki, Light found that the other man seemed eccentric, possibly antisocial, and as someone who didn't practice the art of conventional human behavior, but the thought of Ryuzaki not celebrating holidays just didn't sit well with Light.
Was Ryuzaki that busy that he couldn't find the time to celebrate or at least take a few breaks? No, that didn't make sense. Ryuzaki was here with Light right now, and if he was too busy, he would've turned down the meeting. So what was it? Why didn't he celebrate anything? "You don't even celebrate your birthday?" Light couldn't help but ask. Surely, Ryuzaki still blew out a few candles on his own birthday, right?
"No, I don't," Ryuzaki shook his head, saying it as if it was no big deal. "I don't have any friends to celebrate my birthday with, anyway."
"Then when's your birthday?" Light suddenly asked.
"October thirty-first," Ryuzaki replied. "Why?"
Light blinked a few times. "Huh," he thought. "I don't think I've met someone who's birthday is on Halloween before." "I asked so that I can come over and celebrate your birthday with you the next time it rolls around," Light explained, a smile forming on his lips. Yes, he had to wait nearly a year before October would come, particularly October thirty-first because it was the last day of the month, but he still couldn't wait. He felt a little burst of happiness and excitement whenever he was around Ryuzaki, and hanging out with Ryuzaki during his birthday sounded fun.
"But..." Ryuzaki's jaw slacked open slightly, him obviously at a loss for words. "I-I... It's just that..."
"Just what?" Light questioned. "Maybe Ryuzaki is kind of shy...? No, I don't think that's the case. So why? What is it, Ryuzaki?"
"I-I..." Ryuzaki's lips quivered a little before he resumed speaking. "You want to be my friend...?" Ryuzaki stared deeply into Light's eyes, probably trying to detect a hint of lying, but as calculating as those eyes were, Ryuzaki's eyes still melted Light's heart and made his heart pound.
"Of course I want to be your friend! Why would you think that I don't?!" Light wanted to say, but he kept his composure. "Yeah," Light smiled. He turned around to enter the grocery store, and as Light neared the automatic sliding doors, they opened, allowing for Light to enter.
Ryuzaki, still apparently within his thoughts, followed Light like a toddler, the raven-haired detective not very tentative to his surroundings.
"Oh," Ryuzaki blinked a few times, as if he was surprised by Light's answer. "I've never encountered someone that desired my friendship."
L didn't know what to say. As they entered the grocery store through the automatic sliding doors and got a shopping cart, L could feel his stomach fluttering, which was odd, but around Light, everything seemed... well, he didn't know what to make of it, really. Whatever he felt whenever he was around Light defied all reason, and that bothered L. He was a detective, the world's top three detectives if you wanted to get really specific, and his job and life revolved around reason, rationality, and tangible, logical evidence.
These feelings that pivoted around in his head as the shopping cart's wheels squeaked with every turn, though, wouldn't listen to the logical part of L's brain. No, these... feelings... or whatever you may call them, were in some deep, mysterious recess of his brain that he hadn't left uncovered since he was a child. This part of his head was connected to emotions, to illogical thought, and L didn't appreciate that part of his brain tinkering with his perception of the world. L liked to be rational, to weigh all the evidence and act accordingly, but right now, he couldn't. For the first time in forever, his thoughts were rushing through his head too quickly for him to comprehend them.
Feelings... oh how L hated feelings, although he was sure he had made that obvious enough. Feelings coursed through him so quickly, like a river, and for L, they were also torture. He couldn't wrap his head around human emotions. He had spent countless nights thinking about the subject matter, countless hours trying to figure out the true nature of emotions, but so far, he had come to no answer. He hated the fact that feelings, emotions, even love were things that couldn't be fully understood. They were just there, little chemical reactions that happened in your brain, so why did feelings move people so much? Why cry when you were sad? Why laugh when you were happy? Why would you want to make friends? Why would you want to find love? These were the questions that had swarmed L for all his life, and they were the only questions that he couldn't find answers to.
It made him frustrated and powerless. It made his patience run short and his nerves wear away. He hated it, he hated it all. He hated not knowing, not understanding, not being able to join in on other humans when it came to feelings. He hated that his lack of understanding for human emotions put him in this position in the first place, and he hated that emotions even existed. "Why?! Why do feelings exist?!" L asked himself, as desperate as ever for a solution. "Everything would be so much more efficient if they weren't here!"
L clamped his teeth over his tongue to keep himself from screaming out in frustration. After all, he had to keep calm, or at least appear calm, anyway. He had only known Light for three weeks, and he didn't want to scare the man away because he couldn't keep his silly emotions in check.
"Really?" Light's voice pierced through the thick, metaphorical veil L had placed around himself. "You've never met someone who wanted to be your friend?"
His thoughts scrambling, L began to remember that he was in the middle of a conversation with Light, the words they had previously said coming back in bits and pieces. L blurted out the first thing that came to his head out of surprise, "O-oh... no, no I have not." He looked Light dead in the eyes, and L was sure that his gaze was burning holes through Light. He didn't mean for the look on his face to be so frightening, but he couldn't help it. He was very new to this whole human interaction thing. The only person he talked to on a day to day basis was Watari, and even then, their conversations were sometimes limited.
"I'm kind of surprised, I really enjoy talking to you," Light commented.
Ba thump! Ba thump! Ba thump! went L's heart. It felt like something was about to burst from his chest, and as much as he found his ever beating faster heart uncomfortable, he... how did he put this into words? He... kind of liked it. Yes, he liked this weird, pounding sensation in his chest and stomach, and he had no idea why. The funny feeling in his chest was addictive, the stomach butterflies that were returning at full force bringing an odd sense of comfort. "I really enjoy talking to you," Light's words rang in his ears like a bell.
"He... enjoys talking to me?" bewilderment circulated through L's head. "Well, that's a first." Well, of course there was Watari who enjoyed talking to him, but come on, this was Watari, the one person who could see L for who he was and not what he was. L was more than certain that Light wasn't too interested in him as a person. Light probably only even bothered to talk to him because he had beaten Light in a game of chess.
"You do? You like to talk to me?" L didn't mean to say that. He jerked his body back a little, and he pulled up his scarf to hide his face. "Light, why do I keep blushing when I'm around you?! I demand that you explain the effect you're having on me!"
There was a several seconds pause, probably because Light was processing the shock that was apparently plastered all over his face. Finally, he regained the words he wanted to say, "Yeah, why would I not enjoy talking to you? You're the greatest conversation partner I've ever had!" Light stretched out his arms to emphasize what he just said.
Since they were inside, there were considerably more people around them than if they were outside in the cold, snowy, barren winter, and a small crowd had begun gathering around them. There were others, though, that just gave L and Light a quick, barely noticeable glace to see what all the commotion was about, then went along their ways.
Upon realizing that they were being watched, L tried backing away into an empty aisle. He wasn't quite sure what type of food was kept in this aisle, since he was busy trying to avoid the crowd while acting like nothing was wrong at the same time, and he hid himself behind a pyramid of canned food that was conveniently laying in the middle of the aisle. He even picked up a random can to make it look more like he was perusing through some cans rather than trying to hide away from a crowd. Light must've sensed L's discomfort, because he circled around the aisle, away from the gathering of people around him, and met up with L when he entered the aisle through the end opposite to the one L had entered through, the sugar-addicted detective still shaking behind the stack of cans out of fear of other people.
"You okay?" Light asked.
L gave a shy nod, his blush still searing his face due to embarrassment. "Sorry if I caused you any trouble," L whispered.
"No, it's not a problem, really, I'm not too fond of large groups, either," Light gently patted L on the shoulder. Normally, L would've been halfway across the room by now in an attempt to run away from being touched, but the shoulder pat Light gave him comforted L in a way.
"Light, care to explain what in the world you're doing to me?" L cringed not from Light's fingers making contact with him, but from his lack of fearful reaction to Light's hand. It was odd, because L usually despised being handled by anyone, much less being patted on the back. When Light lifted his hand away, L subconsciously rubbed the shoulder Light had put his hand on, and there was an after-sensation, even when Light's hand was no longer on L.
L nodded, as it was the only method of reaction that he could think of, and looked away from Light. After considering a few things, he brought up what they were at the store for, "So, we should probably get those tomatoes your mother asked for."
"Oh, right," Light whirled his head around in search for the produce section. "Thanks for reminding me. Don't you hate it when you go to the store to get one item only to buy pretty much everything other than the thing you were trying to get?"
"Um..." L didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure about these types of things! Watari did all the shopping, causing for L to not even have the experience to relate to what Light was saying. He just said a simple yes, though, so that he wouldn't give away his lack of life skills.
They continued, and L still couldn't rid himself of the odd fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach. Eventually, he started clutching his abdomen, as if he was having a stomach ache, and he once again fell several steps behind Light.
Light turned around, and he paused for a few seconds when he noticed that L was lagging behind, "Oh, Ryuzaki, are you okay?" Light's eyes landed on L's hands, which were still holding his stomach. "Is your stomach feeling alright? You're clutching it," Light's caramel-colored eyes were flooded with concern, and he was already taking a few steps back so that he could get closer to L.
Immediately, L flung his hands off his stomach, trying to act as natural as he possibly could. Although, L already stood out from the crowd like a speck of paint on one of his plain white shirts, so trying to act natural was a wasted effort. "Don't worry, everything's fine," L insisted, but in truth, he definitely wasn't. "No, Light, I'm definitely not fine. I'm never fine when I'm around you, yet I feel strangely complete! What is it with these conflicting emotions?! But seriously, Light, stop worrying about me!"
With Watari being the exception, he didn't really like it when other people worried about him. It probably had something to do with a combination of his secretive lifestyle and hatred of most people, but whatever the reason, he didn't like for people to worry about him. It made him feel weak and useless, not to mention that L was often too stubborn to ask for assistance, thus reinforcing his dislike for people being concerned about him.
"Alright, if you say so," Light gave L a glance of suspicion, but he turned around and continued walking, L making sure that this time, he wouldn't lag behind and concern Light any further.
Soon, they reached the produce section, and even through the weird feelings in his chest and stomach, L kept pace with Light. He didn't want anymore awkward exchanges, and to do that, he had to pretend that there wasn't a storm of feelings and thoughts swirling in his head. Ignoring the cloud of frustration looming over him wouldn't do him or Light any favors, though, so L had to think of a way to let it all out before he snapped.
Out of this cloud of frustration above him, L could practically hear the lightning and thunder crackling onto him, and imaginary rain saturated his thoughts with confusion as he tried to think of a solution to get rid of this cloud. Maybe some sort of crossword puzzle would calm his nerves once he and Light got back, but there was no guarantee that the Yagami's had one at their home. Plus, it could possibly rub Light's family in the wrong direction and make it seem that he was uninterested in the family, which he definitely wasn't. In fact, it was the complete opposite. Since Light was part of that family, it would be advantageous for L to befriend all the members, no matter how difficult it would be for him. He just couldn't pass up the opportunity to develop a bond with Light, as he wasn't sure when someone like Light would pop up again, if ever.
He could eat some sugar, too, if he wanted to distract himself from the frustration cloud, but he couldn't eat sugar all evening. The sugar was only a quick fix, and it wasn't the answer for everything, as much as L wished that wasn't true.
Then, there was always... talking...?
"That's a stupid idea," L huffed internally. Then he groaned quietly, hating that it had to come to this, "But I have no choice." If he actually wanted to enjoy himself, he would have to strike up a conversation.
The last few talks he had with Light were rather forced, so he might as well make amends and clear any ill-will, not that the chance of there being any negative feelings between the two of them exceeded five-percent.
"Light?" L spoke softly, secretly hoping that Light didn't notice.
"Yeah?" Light did notice.
"I... I was just wondering, how was your week?" L tried not to cringe. Small-talk was torture, but it was how most conversation was started, so he had to ease into this with a "How did your week go?" type of sentence.
"Oh, it was okay, I guess. The murder case is stressing me out a bit, we haven't gotten very far recently, and even L's stumped," Light sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and he walked to where the tomatoes sat. Absentmindedly placing tomatoes into the shopping cart, Light continued, "I really don't want to talk about it. I hate it that we can't give justice to the victims or their families. Innocent people have gotten murdered, and the least we can do is catch the killer and prevent any more tragedies."
L nodded; he understood that Light wanted to stray away from the case they were working on for now. If he was honest, the case was stressing him out as much as it was stressing Light. "I understand," L nodded. That didn't stop theories about the case from humming in the back of his mind, though, and he could tell that Light was musing about the same train of thought.
"How was your week?" Light suddenly asked.
"Oh crap! I forgot that I'm supposed to tell him how my week went, too. For such a genius, you really are stupid, L. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" L would've knocked himself on the head, but he was in a crowded area, and doing said action would draw even more attention than his appearance was. Instead, L bit the bullet and pushed himself to carry on, "This week has been quite stressful for me as well. Since I am a detective, I've been flooded with cases as of late. I wish I could've taken on all of them, but I can't, unfortunately."
It was true. As L, people were always contacting him to solve unsolvable crimes, but he had to turn away roughly eighty-nine-percent of them, as much as it pained him. He would work on several cases at once, but that didn't mean that he could end all crime. In the end, even the world's greatest detective was human with human limitations. There were physical limitations, such as L not being able to be there to solve every single case, but there were also mental ones... mental barriers and limitations... like emotions.
"Stupid feelings," L bit his tongue to make sure he didn't say it out loud. It would probably freak out Light, and L had no intentions to do that after getting so far with him.
There were also other ways being human hindered him. As a human, L needed to sleep, as much as he convinced himself that he didn't need to, he needed to rest his brain at least once every year or so, and mortality was always something that weighed heavily on him. Being the world's greatest detectives did have its downsides. For one thing, there were pretty much hundreds upon hundreds of people that wanted to kill you for either putting their allies behind bars or to death. Then, there was the fact that desperate government agencies called you twenty-four/seven because they had this crime no one could solve. Plus, keeping your identity a secret was... well, lonely, although there were times when he enjoyed the solitude, so that was a double-edged sword.
"Ryuzaki?" Light chimed in, interrupting L from his endless spiral of thought.
"I'm here! I'm here!" L snapped his head up when Light yanked him so suddenly out of his thoughts. Eventually, his breathing calmed, and his face turned scarlet when he faced Light, "I apologize, I must've zoned out on you again."
"On worries, I do that sometimes, especially when I'm tired," L noticed that Light had already finished putting all the tomatoes he needed into the cart.
Tired... Then, L realized something. He hadn't gotten any sleep for a solid week and a half. As he stifled a yawn, L felt his knees give way. His eyes suddenly felt droopy, and it was as if someone had placed a ten pound weight on him when he wasn't looking. He fell with a loud plunk!
Just before he dozed off, his final thought was, "Maybe Watari is right... Maybe I should get some more sleep-" The rest of that thought was cut off when he found himself sprawled on the ground, his world fading out to black. He had fainted.
"Ryuzaki!" if Light was keeping the tomatoes in a shopping basket, he would've, without a doubt, dropped them, making him glad that he had decided to go with a cart. That was irrelevant at the moment, though. Ryuzaki was on the ground for who knows why, and they were in a crowded store.
"What to do, what to do?!" Light whispered to himself. He reached for his pockets, but then he realized that he left his phone at home. "Shit," mentally cursing was all Light could do, since he didn't want for children to hear him say nor say themselves such a word.
Soon, someone had rushed up to Light to help. Light didn't get this person's name, and he was sure that he would never see this person again, but he appreciated it.
After several failed attempts at waking Ryuzaki up, Light and this unnamed person caved in and called an ambulance.
"What an utter disaster," Light muttered. He hated seeing Ryuzaki like this. He didn't like to see anybody suddenly collapse, really, as any person with some sense of morality would. "You'll be okay," Light reassured Ryuzaki, even though he knew Ryuzaki couldn't hear him.
Soon, Light heard the chime of loud, blaring sirens and the sight of bright red and blue lights. Concern for Ryuzaki squeezed his insides. He hoped Ryuzaki would be okay. He should've paid closer attention to when Ryuzaki was telling him that he was fine! He should've known that Ryuzaki was lying!
"Don't worry, Ryuzaki, everything's going to be alright," Light was kneeling down next to Ryuzaki, holding his hand gently in a comforting manner. "I'm here for you... I'll be your friend."
Well, that plot twist at the end was unexpected! To be honest, I didn't decide to write that last scene until I started writing about how tired L was. XP Yeah, I'm terrible at planning stories in advance. Oh well, it leaves more room for plot twists and cliffhangers! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Run after me with your pitchforks and torches if you want to, and I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but these last two weeks have been crazy.
As I said last chapter, I recently started high school, and more often than not, I'm staying up until one in the morning and am getting on average five to six hours of sleep per day. So if there are more grammatical mistakes than usual this chapter, blame my lack of sleep! I've been losing so much sleep as of late that I've started to get headaches, and my speech has been starting to slur slightly... oh well, I have plans to sleep for twenty hours straight on Saturday, so that's all I can say about this situation.
On the bright side, though, the more tired I am, the more crazy I get, and the more crazy I get, the more crazy my ideas get, and the more crazy my ideas get, the more cliffhangers I'll give you! Okay, I guess that's not a bright side for you, since reading cliffhangers is often torture, but at least something exciting finally happened.
Well, bye, and see you next chapter.
