A/N: yes, i am fully aware as to how incredibly wordy this chapter is. Light just seems to blather on and on and on... i'm so very sorry for what i'm about to put you through, but i had to be fairly specific in order to prevent any major plotholes. i think ive covered most of them now xD also, if i didn't start fleshing out the chapters a little more Dynamism would seriously go on for like 3984739479343+1 chapters. but then again, maybe i'm NOT sorry, because Light simply wouldn't be Light-mother-fucking-Yagami if he didn't bore readers with lengthy explanations and sinister monologues. and so it goes: Light divulges his Plan. with a capital P, because it's the Plan to end all other plans. oh, ho.
so now, enjoy the LONGEST chapter in Dynamism HISTORY. aaargh!
(you can tell i'm tired, can't you?)
plz report any glaring errors cuz im sure theyre there somewhere kthxbai.
--
you think we're here to play
a game of who loves more than whom
- Barenaked Ladies
iii.
"Light Yagami."
Light is startled out of an unsatisfying sleep by the sound of his own name, spoken in a melancholy, almost monotonous timbre. He jerks upright to see the ominous form of Rem looming over him, eyes glowing a sinister amber as she regards him in a decidedly leery way. Light's gaze flicks over to his digital alarm clock, the green digits casting a faintly green, sickly glow across his skin. It is just after one AM.
"What is it, Rem?" he asks, by now fully awake. He knows that the shinigami does not come to bear good news, but he steels himself for it anyway.
"I have thoroughly looked in every place that you have instructed, only to turn up nothing." She states the next part in a cold fury, as though this is all somehow Light's fault: "Misa is gone."
Light is calm, despite currently being the focus of a very malevolent and vindictive death-god. "I thought that might be the case." Misa may be an idiot, but she's fairly reliable. Obviously something has happened that is beyond her control. He stands up and quietly makes his way to his desk, where his computer is currently idling. He jiggles the mouse and slowly the screen comes back to life. "Rem, will you have a look at this?" He pulls up Firefox and scrolls through his bookmarks, clicking on the one for Misa's online portfolio. He steps back as JPEGs of Misa adorned in garish Lolita garb are emblazoned across the screen.
The shinigami stares at the screen with a cryptic expression for a long time. Then, upon apparently discovering just where Light is going with all of this, she reveals slowly, "I can still see her lifespan."
"And I take it that when you checked the Task Force Headquarters, you found that it had been deserted?"
The shinigami bows her head slightly, in what Light assumes is some kind of parody of a nod. "It appears so."
Light is still staring at the screen in front of him, fixing Misa with a contemplative gaze. "Okay, I've deduced this much from the information you've just given me." He pauses, head cocked to one side as he chooses his next words with care. "Clearly, Misa has been apprehended on her way to retrieve the second notebook. Obviously L somehow suspected that there was foul play aloof, and sent one of his cronies out to retrieve her." His index finger settles on his lower lip as he studies the pictures in front him, a pensive pose that is unconsciously similar to L's own. "She was taken into custody before she had dug up the second notebook, which is very fortunate in this case, because I have no doubt that her person has been very thoroughly examined, and all her personal belongings confiscated. If the notebook had currently been with her at the time of her being apprehended, others would have touched it and then Ryuk would become visible. That alone would eliminate all speculation in L's mind as to whether Misa was operating as the Second Kira or not, and it's likely that she would have been executed already."
"Or they could be simply waiting to be execute her," Rem offers grimly.
Light considers this, and then shakes his head. "I think it's unlikely," he says at last with a shake of his elegant head, but does not further elaborate on his reasoning behind this. "Regardless, we will have to dig up the remaining notebook eventually to discover if I am right or not. For now, however, it's too dangerous." Rem does not seem happy about this at all, and her voice is laced with venom when she speaks.
"Light..." she says haltingly, threateningly.
"Look, if Misa is under suspicion and has been apprehended as a result, then I'm most certainly under suspicion as well. It's probably only a matter of time before I'm taken into custody too; and don't you think if they seize the notebook from me it will only jeopardize Misa's current situation even more?"
"Very well..." the shinigami says reluctantly, after observing Light's sudden outburst.
"Either way," Light says, adopting a more reassuring tone, because really, his life could potentially be at stake here, at the hands of an overbearing, love struck shinigami. Damn her! Damn both of them! Really, Misa, half the time you're more of a hindrance than a help... "Misa is alive. And I fully intend to keep her that way."
"Good," the shinigami says warningly. "Because if you don't..."
Light tunes her out. He already knows. "So anyway, I think it's safe to assume that L announcing to the rest of the Taskforce Members and myself that the Kira case was considered closed was just an excuse so that he could fade back into obscurity." He closes his eyes briefly, has to fight back the rising tide of loathing, like bile, within him. Damn! I knew he would try and pull a stunt like this... "Either something tipped him off or he's simply got good instincts... regardless, it doesn't matter... L obviously got a whiff of trouble; to further safeguard himself against a potential backlash now that Higuichi's out of the way, he seized Misa and has either tied her up like before, or has thrown her in a cell, or maybe both; at the very least, he's keeping her in close quarters so that he may keep an eye on her."
Light nods faintly to himself, becoming more confident that his hypothesis regarding the matter is right the longer he speaks. "L thinks Misa is the second Kira, the one with the ability to kill with only a face. So since he's already revealed that much to her, he has to personally make sure she doesn't get her hands on a murder notebook, because obviously his personal health is at grave risk here. Yes... it all fits." He nods sagely, a mixture of dissatisfaction and satisfaction co-existing on the planes of his face: dissatisfied because he's been temporarily out-maneuvered yet again, and satisfied because he has been clever enough to piece it all together, like the parts of an elaborately and well-devised puzzle.
"Also... the fact that L so willingly left the notebook behind with the Japanese Police... well, it's not typically L, who is a cautious and mistrustful person by nature... therefore, his cooperation on the matter is very worrying to me now," Light continues to rationalize, now pacing about the room again like he had been doing earlier in the evening. "He also seemed highly reluctant to accept that all of the rules of the notebook were completely true."
And that is completely your fault, Light thinks accusingly, casting a quick, dark glance over his shoulder at where Rem is standing stoically behind him. You should have been more firm in your answers, instead of being so obnoxiously elusive; you gave him reason to doubt the integrity of the notebook.
"... Particularly the last two. Seemed to think that the thirteen day rule was a little too 'convenient'; too neat in terms of clearing my innocence." Light halts in his tracks and laughs humorlessly. Damn, I've got to give him credit though, he really has thought of everything... "Because he didn't want to cause an outrage, or raise suspicion amongst us, he decided to take a chance and rip out a page of the notebook before it went into the vault; then, he took it with him to wherever he's gone off to now..."
He knows that the vault needs a personalized pin code from each of us in order to be opened... therefore, leaving the notebook behind is not that huge of a risk; not when it's so clearly out of my reach... and since he obviously hasn't died upon defacing part of the notebook, he's probably even more convinced that some of the rules have been falsified... Or maybe he thinks defacing the notebook is not the same as destroying it; therefore, he's safe... Regardless of what he may think, it's logical that his next course of action will be to...
--
L pronounces the name of the vast estate as 'Low-light'. Misa, being Japanese, butchers this name horribly, which Aiber (of course) finds unspeakably hilarious. Misa does not find Aiber's reaction amusing or surprising in the least, since Aiber is an insufferable jerk and man oh man does Misa ever hate him with an all-consuming, feverish passion. (He will be the first person whose name she writes down in the notebook, just after L himself.)
L, on the other hand, seems almost endeared by her terrible pronunciation, and simply smiles at her in an enigmatic way when she fucks it up.
--
"So, with everything that's happened so far, I suppose it wouldn't be a stretch to think that he's going to test the 13 day rule now. And once he does... well, if he doesn't have me in custody by then, I certainly will be brought in after the thirteen days are up... and then the both of us will remain there, forever..." He shudders as the thought; it is highly unpleasant to think of. He can't let it come to that: not when he's so close... so impossibly, delectably close to obtaining Godhood.
"...That is, unless we find another Kira to assume my mantle in the meantime. The new Kira will obviously have to share the same sense of justice that I do, but has to be cunning enough to avoid suspicion in order to further elude the Law. They also have to be obscure enough that L won't make the connection between us. That way, when the murders suddenly continue, and are consistent with the guidelines I've set for criminals so far... well, then Misa and I should be safe. L will have no reason to suspect us further."
It's important that the next Kira does not stray from the path of righteous judgment... That was Higuichi's downfall - he started killing in a pattern that was noticeably different; he was targeting members of rival businesses. But that suited my purposes at the time... it was what I wanted... this time, however, it has to be different, in order to ensure my freedom later down the line..
"L will always suspect you," Rem says unexpectedly.
Light frowns, but then shrugs. "You're probably right, but it doesn't matter. L can't possibly keep an eye on us forever. Since he knows how the killings are conducted now, he will be looking for tangible evidence... but he'll never find it, at least not with Misa or I. Eventually our names will be cleared; they have to be. Obviously the next Kira will have to make the trade with Ryuk for the Shinigami eyes as well, so that it coincides with Misa's ability and takes the focus off of her.
"We will have to find a rampant Kira worshipper... someone who reveres him, with similar ideals and a similar wavelength. This time we can keep up the charade as long as what's necessary; with someone who bears a similar profile in terms of mentality - the striking similarity will be bound to confuse L. Eventually he'll come to the conclusion that he's wrong about suspecting me personally, and Misa as well. Once I have selected an ideal candidate, I will send him explicit, detailed instructions on how about to go about these killings, along with a sufficient supply of notebook pages. When those eventually run out, Ryuk will dig up the notebook and bring him more, then bury it again until the next time... and on and on, an endless cycle, as long as I need to, in order to clear my name."
He actually has a reason to smile again, and so he does. Really, his brilliance knows no bounds. "Meanwhile, the fact that Misa is presumably in such close proximity to L can actually work in our favor. You can bet she's trying to find a way to get in touch with me; and when she does, she's clever enough not to reveal any information regarding Kira... but she's bound to tell me where she is, under the pretense that L has wrongfully accused and kidnapped her. And if she can't reveal that information, or if she doesn't know, we can figure out some way to trace the location of her whereabouts with the call. Shouldn't be hard to get ahold of the technology; my dad is the deputy chief of the police after all." He lifts his eyebrows quizzically. "Because I'm assuming you don't simply know where she went, right, Rem? You can't go out and search for her, can you?"
"No, I can't," the shinigami says regretfully. "Since you are the current owner of the Death Note, I cannot stray very far... at least not more than a few miles or so..."
"Right, I figured," Light nods, but this revelation does not seem to cause his excitement to dwindle in the slightest. "Well, if we haven't already cleared our names by the time Misa gets in touch... once we figure out her whereabouts, I'll temporarily relinquish ownership of the Death Note you're attached to, the one that is currently hidden in a vault under Taskforce HQ. Then you can go to where Misa is, and either kill L yourself or bring a piece of the notebook so that Misa can personally have the honor." He smiles happily at the thought. "Yes... she has been very considerate of my needs so far... seducing L was very clever... perhaps I should reward her with giving her the means to personally destroy him. She might like that." The far-away, dreamy-quality to his smile eventually fades, and he shakes his head, as though coming out from a trance. "Right. Then we'll have the new Kira relinquish his hold over the book we have buried, and that one can go back to me."
"And if he won't?" Rem inquires.
"He will," Light tells her confidently. "The candidate I plan to choose will have been screened thoroughly... he will handpicked for the job based on his devotion to Kira. And if, for whatever reason, he decides he doesn't want to... well, then we'll kill him if we must." Light's smile turns slightly maniacal. "Naturally, since he will handpicked, I will know his identity... but I will be careful to remain in the shadows, not unlike what L is doing now, so that he does not know mine." Light feels as though a considerable weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. And although his plan is something of a rehash of the earlier one featuring Higuichi, it has been considerably refined and fine-tuned so that it better suits his purposes. It will be a flawless victory, he knows, in the end; the rest leading up to that apex are just details.
"So," he concludes, over to his bed and sprawling out on the comforters. He feels sleepy with triumph, relaxed and drowsy and comfortable. "Obviously I'm going to need you to roam some more... it's not safe with you here under the current conditions... should my dad come in my room, or one of the other Task Force members drop by. You need to lay low for now; I'll summon you when I need you next."
"And when will that be?"
"Probably..." His words are stifled by a yawn; he is very close to slumber now. "...When I find my next Kira..."
And he drifts off into a place where only good dreams await him.
--
Surprisingly, Misa's hands are removed from their handcuffs upon admittance inside. Her wrists are raw and chaffed from being forcibly held behind for several hours on end, but none of her captors seem to be remotely sympathetic in the slightest. Bastards.
Château de Lawliet is a huge, sprawling manor. There are open ceilings, numerous skylights that seemingly open straight up into the heavens, elegant archways and pillars - pillars, for God's sake! - made of the palest of marble; intricately carved staircases, an enormous entrance-way, and hallways that curve around bends before disappearing entirely. Meanwhile, everywhere Misa turns there is another door, although leading where, she has no idea. The place is simply massive, in every sense of the word.
The sitting area is almost gaudy, with its overly elaborate furnishings - overflowing with purple velvet and complicated, thick threading; adorned with tassels and buttons and strange curves. They also look exceedingly uncomfortable to sit upon, but as Aiber steers her backwards into one, she is alarmed to find that they are not. After she is seated L perches upon one himself, directly across from her. He looks more outrageously out-of-place than ever, and in his own home, no less.
Watari comes over later with a trolley - yes, an actual trolley - adorned with several, expensive-looking bottles of wine and a platter of strawberry cheesecake for L. L takes a piece of the cheesecake and Watari offers the detective's accomplice - and Misa's kidnapper - a glass, which the man generously accepts. The old man does not offer anything to Misa. He leaves the trolley behind for the snacking detective to feast upon as he walks away.
Aiber seems much more natural amongst all this overbearing refinery than L does himself - seems to bask in it compliment it, almost, with his silk black shirt and expensive tailored slacks. He swirls the wine Watari has poured for him in his glass contentedly, and grins in a manner that is uncomfortably shark-like to Misa.
Abruptly the two men lapse into conversation as Misa glances around, taking her surroundings more fully. Misa had thought that L might be wealthy, but really she had no idea. How on earth can one man be so rich?
It is dizzying to think how much he has paid for this estate; even more nauseating to consider how much he must have spent on furnishings alone. She didn't even want to think about maintenance. Electricity... electricity must cost a fortune. Nobody needs this much money. How on earth can one man be so rich? The way it was so lavishly displayed - so foolishly thrown around - so obviously squandered on wasteful, unnecessary luxuries - why, it was simply ridiculous. Didn't L mostly live out of hotel rooms, anyway? Why in Kira's name did he need to spend so much on a place he hardly ever got the time to enjoy? How on earth... She thinks again, but her train of thought is abruptly cut off by the sound of her own name being voiced.
(Not Misa. Never Misa. It's always 'Amane' now.)
She blinks and turns around at the familiar utterance, but neither of her kidnappers are looking at her. Maddeningly, they are also exchanging verbal interaction in a language she doesn't fully understand - English.
"Hey," Misa says, waving her hands around in an attempt to re-gain their focus. "Hey. Hey."
L simply lifts one of those elusive, pencil-thin eyebrows at her. They are nearly lost beneath the uneven fringe of his bangs.
"How many languages do you speak, anyway?" Misa inquires, honestly curious.
"Other than Japanese, you mean?" he asks, blinking at her owlishly. She nods, and he abruptly answers with: "I can speak many languages, however the number of those which I feel I can speak fluently in, other than Japanese, is six."
"Six?" This impresses Misa. "And what are they?"
"Arabic, Mandarin, English, French, Russian, and Spanish," he rattles off immediately.
Misa doesn't understand the significance of knowing these languages in particular. The connection is not lost on Aiber, however, who laughs obnoxiously. "Ah," he says, beaming at L with a look on his face akin to admiration. "Very clever."
"What's clever?" Misa demands irritably. She does not enjoy being left out of the loop.
L smiles in that maddeningly evasive manner again. Aiber, apparently taking pity on her for once, brings it upon himself to answer. "It's the six official languages of the UN." Clearly impressed as well, he adds, "I can see how that might come in handy for you."
"Yes," L agrees. "It can be useful at times."
"Hey," Misa says again. Her legs are crossed, and she waves one foot back and forth with an irritated swish. "So since you've decided to imprison Misa or whatever, Misa wants to know what happened to her Phone Call."
"Imprisonment?" Aiber chortles. "For being confined, you're getting off pretty damned easy. Talk about living it up."
Misa ignores him, her retinas burning into L's instead. "Well?" she asks impatiently.
"You don't get a Phone Call," L says softly. A fresh wave of loathing overcomes Misa.
"And why not?" she snarls indignantly, rising out of her chair.
"You might want to sit down, mon cherie," Aiber advises her wisely, with a barely concealed threat. "You might not like what happens if you don't."
"Fuck you," she says hatefully, whirling on him in a fury. "Misa has been forcibly taken against her will and under false pretenses! She will not stand for this perversion of justice any longer!" Her voice echoes shrilly throughout the chambers.
"Perversion of justice?" Aiber laughs again as he moves to stand, apparently intending to forcibly subdue her if necessary. "That's a good one. You're getting in over your head, little girl." Misa's fists clench at her sides - she's getting ready to take a swing at his head when suddenly L bounds to his feet.
"Dinner is ready, I think," he says, as the two twist around to look at him in surprise. He sets off shuffling down the hall, presumably towards where the kitchen is, and Misa and Aiber exchange befuddled glances. Then they regain their respective bearings; Aiber moves forward to seize her, and Misa slaps his hand away. "Misa can walk herself, thanks," she spits venomously at him. "She does not have to be led around on a leash like a dog." And she stomps off after L.
--
"Perhaps you should exchange your heartfelt goodbyes now," L advises with a touch of amusement. He's currently working on a third helping of dessert. "Aiber will be going home tomorrow."
Misa purposely ignores him. She's already working out the kinks in her next plan. Obviously L is going to be keeping me on a tight leash here... like I really am a dog. Still, I can use this to my advantage: I have penetrated the heart of my enemy's fortress. This is a good thing. I can help Light this way. But in order to help Light, I'm going to have to be able to make contact with him somehow, like by phone or something at the very least. And the only way I'm going to be able to earn any privileges like that - or at least, find a way to sneak away for a while without raising any kind of alarm - is to gain L's trust.
"Are you going to eat your dessert?" L asks, indicating her chocolate cake with a jab of his own fork. Or...
Misa looks up, startled free from her reverie. "Hm?" she asks.
"The cake," he says gently. "Do you want it?" I'm going to seduce you, she decides suddenly, and then L's words finally register in her brain.
"Oh!" Misa picks up the plate and offers it to him. "No. You can have it." He gives her a grateful half-simper, settling it down in front of him with something that borders on reverence. She watches him with a critical eye as he lances a piece with his fork and pops it into his mouth. He spends a lot of time chewing, she thinks.
L takes another bite, his jaw working thoughtfully and deliberately. There is a smear of chocolate frosting on his face, and seizing this as a perfect opportunity, Misa reaches across the table to wipe it away. Her fingers trace the edges of his lips almost lovingly, an obviously tender gesture. Her thumb lingers at the corner of his lips far longer than what is strictly necessary, and L stills, a look of genuine surprise etched across his alabaster features. And then Misa slowly retracts her hand, bringing it alongside her other one to fold neatly in her lap.
Let's see how far the rabbit hole goes, L, Misa thinks sardonically. L has yet to recover from this unexpected turn of events, apparently stunned. Then he tilts his head slightly to one side as he regards her with a kind of newfound curiosity. Aiber's gaze flicks between the two, as though puzzled by what has just occurred.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, Misa thinks, recalling the famous words of Sir Walter Scott as she simpers innocently back at him. When first we practice to deceive!
--
A/N (cont.): i think that's a nice little note to leave it on for now, don't you? And on second though, I suppose it's not too long… :checks: only… 6 pages xD oh god I'm so sorry if it sucks. I really tried to make it good but elaborate plotlines that require excessive explanation aren't my Forté; they only succeed in making my head hurt. ;-;