Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

Chapter 9

The rest of the few hours left until the end of the work day drifted by quite literally uneventfully. That was mostly because the two masterminds behind the investigation were both delved in their own thoughts, staring off into space in two opposite directions.

Light watched with dread as Ryuuzaki dismissed the team. He purposely avoided his father's eyes. Having sacrificed his pride while trying to win the battle for support, and having lost, was enough to ruin his mood for days. He truly couldn't handle more of the looks full of disappointment that he received from his father.

Soichiro stayed a little bit extra to talk to Ryuuzaki and be reassured that no harm was going to come over his son until the next day. L assured the ex-police officer that he wasn't going to take any action against Light before he had the rest of the team's support.

Finally alone. Light thought. Watari is watching everything in this room. I'll talk to L about what happened when we retreat to the bedroom... And the surveillance of this building needs to go.

L didn't waste time and turned to his suspect, who was again handcuffed to the detective with a 5 foot chain.

"Let's go." L said, standing up.

Light got up, pretending to be the same obedient teen he had been when he had lost his memories of the death note. He followed the detective out of the headquarters.

That's unusual. Light thought. As far as I recall, we always stayed until late to finish work. Perhaps he doesn't want to anger me further.

They walked in the corridor and Light suddenly felt a horrible feeling of dread come over him. His stomach clenched with no apparent reason. All of a sudden it didn't if he'd appear more suspicions to Watari, who was probably watching them through the cameras.

"Where are we going?" Light asked with hidden urgency.

L didn't answer. Light's heart jumped. I have to stop this, whatever it is!

"Why waste time, Ryuuzaki?" Light said suggestively before he lunged to the right and tried to open a door on the side of the corridor.

It was unlocked and revealed a simply furnished living room. Light knew that the facility was filled with those – conference rooms, living quarters, rest rooms…



"Continue, please, Light-kun!" L's tone was demanding and the detective pulled the chain violently, pulling the teen away from the opened door.

"No, I want it now!" Light said, purposely sounding the way he did, knowing that Watari had no way of knowing if the earlier claims about the pair's relationship were true. He jerked the chain even more violently, sending the lanky detective right into Kira's arms.

"Stop it!" L tried to tear himself away from the accidental embrace.

"Why are you blushing, Ryuuzaki? What's wrong?" Light teased, suddenly thrilled by the exchange, even though it had started as something completely fake.

"Don't act like that!" L was angry now, but his knees felt weak when his enemy's arms were twisting around his shoulders and ribs, pulling him closer to the man's chest.

For the unknown time this day, L felt as if he had a huge lump stuck in his throat and that his stomach had turned into a burning ball. What is he doing to me? He wondered, finding it impossible to bring himself to look up to Light's eyes.

Light was amazed at how good this moment felt. Ryuuzaki was obviously struggling to resist being touched by his worst enemy, but was failing miserably. Light suppressed the triumphant chuckle, which was building up in his throat. He pulled the tense form to himself, putting his chin over the detective's bowed head. The black hair felt silky when it came to contact with the teen's neck. He also felt heat radiating from the other youth's face. Hilarious! He is so embarrassed and I'm not even doing anything to him.

"Nobody is watching us, Kira. You can stop now.", came Ryuuzaki's whisper, muffled by Light's body against his face.

Light bent down, brushing his lips over the hard but silky black locks that hid Ryuuzaki's ears.

"What about Watari?" Kira whispered, breathing in the pleasant smell of soap and L's own fragrance. "Where is he?"

"He is waiting for us… If we don't arrive soon, he'll come looking for me. Armed." He was monotonous as always, but sounded much slower and less calculating.

Light's eyes widened and he turned his face away from Ryuuzaki's hair, in order to think.

Ryuuzaki is telling me this? Either he is lying or he is affected by this embrace. Let's exploit his state of submission.

Light felt his insides tighten from excitement when he assessed L's behavior as submission. He licked his lips and turned his face to L's head again, this time letting his lips and nose push away the stands of hair and to come in close proximity to his enemy's earlobe.



"I want you to call him and tell him not to come." He whispered leisurely, feeling in complete control over the being, who was involuntarily melting in his arms.

L's held his breath and Light counted the heartbeats that it took the detective to decide what to do.

"No."

Light felt a bit annoyed, but now that he knew that Ryuuzaki's mind was clouded thanks to the physical closeness, it seemed easy to convince him.

Light felt weird when he buried his hand into the long inky locks at the back of his enemy's head. Then he pulled softly, aiming to tilt the other's head up. Ryuuzaki refused to look up.

"Look at me!" Light demanded.

Ryuuzaki only bowed his head even further down, straining his hair painfully.

Light considered the options. He knew he shouldn't be too forceful if he wanted positive effects. The art of manipulation is to make people think they want to do what you want them to do. Ryuuzaki shouldn't feel forced.

It would have been so lovely if he could just pull L's hair, force him to lift his face up and meet his eyes. The teen felt like slamming the detective to the wall, and taking advantage of his confusion. Light was almost shocked by the direction this fantasy was starting to take. What if he kissed him? What if he undressed him? Kira felt strangely turned on by the possibility of sexually dominating the other man.

Light had no idea why the idea of doing this to the eccentric detective, who he always considered unattractive, was suddenly so appealing. Perhaps it was the fact that the other's body fitted onto his so well, or that his frame was so lean that it gave the impression that he could easily be broken, leaving Light in a sense of utter control… But those thoughts could wait.

"Lawliet" Light let the name roll off his lips ever so softly. He hoped that the use of L's real name was going to have the two-sided effect of intimidation and beckoning, which was expected.

L tried to pull away from the tight embrace, lifting his forearms to push at Kira's chest.

Light didn't allow him enough space to recoil.

"Lawliet, look at me!" he insisted more forcefully now, unable to help it.

"If you let me go, I'll call him." Ryuuzaki said suddenly, without looking at Light's eyes.

"Call him and I'll let you go." Light demanded.

"Agreed." L's voice was barely audible.

"Get the phone from my pocket."



L's hand tentatively found Light's side pocket. It seemed like the detective was taking painstaking measures not to touch Kira more than the possible minimum. With two fingers he pulled out the cell phone.

L didn't look up at his enemy as he turned on the device and dialed.

"Watari. Your assistance won't be necessary." L said shortly.

"May I ask what caused the sudden change of approach, Ryuuzaki?" Light could easily hear Watari's response over the line.

"No." L answered and cut the line.

Light was pleased and took back the cell phone from his enemy's limp hand but didn't release L.

"Where were you taking me?" he asked quietly, feeling very smug that all he had to do now was give orders and the notoriously stubborn detective yielded.

"Yagami-kun has always been so bright. Can't he figure it out?"

"You shamelessly lied to my father, didn't you?"

"At least I'm not lying to my own father, like some of us…"

Light scowled at that.

"Are you going to kill me now?" L asked casually and lifted his head.

Light noticed that the detective had straightened up and Kira was no longer able to put his chin over the other's head. Their eye levels matched.

There was about an inch distance between their noses. Light noticed that L's listless eyes were bloodshot, but he couldn't have been crying because Light's shirt was completely dry.

Light smiled at the emotionless expression of his enemy.

"You played and you lost, again." He said smugly, ignoring the question.

"Let me go now!" L demanded, ignoring the answer, but his eyes were starting to betray his bitterness.

So, that's what you were hiding. You can't take this defeat.

Light tightened his arms around L's slim arms and ribcage. It felt delicious to have the man helpless. Light crushed the resistance that followed when he also moved his chin to rest on the other's bony shoulder.

"I am the one deciding the rules now." He declared to the detective's ear. "You realize that you made me quite angry today, right?"



"I sincerely hope that I made the worst day of your life." L retorted.

"You sure have. It wasn't today, but you made most of the worst days of my life anyway." Light confessed without much pleasure. He felt himself growing angry because he remembered the time of his detention. How Ryuuzaki had held him for months! "But it doesn't matter now. I have news for you, detective, and you better grasp it well this time." He made a dramatic pause in which he sincerely gloated. "I own you now. I possess your life. Even though you made me put myself in a compromising position today, I am not going to give up on using you. I won't kill you just yet. I'll make you serve me."

L didn't move even a muscle. Thank god, he can't know that I'm out of death note paper! Light thought.

"And what if I refuse?"

"I'll torture you." Light threatened, even though presently he had no idea how he could organize such a thing.

"That won't work." Ryuuzaki declared. "You can't oblige me into anything, Kira."

Light pulled away to look at L's eyes closely. It was very interesting to hold him so close. He could easily pick up every small signal that his body was making. Like the changes in L's body temperature, the little shudders, which gave him away. Behind the unbreakable façade, this man was only human. And he didn't want to die or to be tortured.

"It will work. Besides, I bet it will be worse if I make someone close to you do the torturing…" Light trailed off suggestively. He meant Watari, of course, even though he didn't have the old man's name. There was no way of L knowing that too. And also, due to the current situation, Light realized that L couldn't be sure if Light wasn't referring to himself as well.

"You can control people before they die, is that right, Kira?" L's voice was dead.

"Yes. I could use that on you too, if you step across the line again."

They stared at each other intently, each one of them judging the other's resolve.

"Let me go." L demanded finally.

"It's late, Ryuuzaki. I need my sleep." Light changed the topic abruptly, releasing the detective.

L stuttered out of Kira's reach immediately. He stood and regarded his enemy for several seconds, before he changed turned and walked in direction to their bedroom.

Kira felt triumphant again. He decided that he was going to put his next regulations for L when they were safely isolated in their bedroom.