A/N: Gah, I blood suck at trying to keep you all in suspense! I was trying to put posting up this chapter until TOMORROW, but look how well THAT worked out?! Ha!
ALRIGHT!!!! I am so freaking hacking excited. The talented and wonderful and my freaking hero of all time, etc, the lovely Ileranerak, has done a FANART! Oh, wow! Please go and check out chibi Ligth and L! It's adorable! http ://w. tallermanga. com/ oekaki/ dibujos/ TMO_, and I'll put a link on my profile here in a bit too, but I'm sure everyone can fill in the blanks otherwise!!!! (If not, I'm sorry, but you need help! :D).
Serious shit happens here you guys, and THAT'S all I'm going to be saying until the endnote!
The Art of Drowning
Light and Dark
L's eye twitched when the monitors went blank and Raito's scowling face disappeared.
Bloody useless cameras.
He pulled out his mobile, handling it delicately, only to frown when he caught sight of the screen. No service? How could there be no - His eyes narrowed slightly in realization. Of course there's no service. He was a good twenty feet underground in the monitoring room.
L sighed. He'd have to go to a higher floor before he could call Watari. There weren't any landlines in this room to call the older man on, and he needed Watari to fix the cameras. As a former inventor whose life's work was centered around tinkering with technology, Watari was much better at that sort of thing than L could ever hope to be.
Then L would go check on Raito, even if he would have preferred to stay away from the younger man this evening. It was easier to watch Raito through a computer screen, after all. That way, Raito's presence didn't have such an effect on him.
He gave the blank monitors a baleful glare.
L figured that there was a 5% chance of Raito being behind the camera's sudden malfunction, but that still left 95% to speculation.
He swiveled the chair around, slouching towards the exit. He stretched his hand out and grasped the door handle -
And that was when the lights started flickering wildly.
L let go of the door handle, almost expecting the lights to stop flickering after he did so, and surprisingly enough, they did stop flickering. Only problem was that L was now completely bathed in darkness instead of light.
Immediately he expected foul play. This was too coincidental. Someone must have infiltrated headquarters. Chances were that the cameras monitoring Raito's cell weren't the only ones affected. More than likely, the whole building's surveillance was deliberately sabotaged before the power was shut down. No one outside of the taskforce, Misa Amane, and Watari knew what this building was used for, so who was here and what could they possibly want?
L used his memory to navigate the halls to the stairwell. Of course, the stairwell was just as dark as the rest of the building. L halfway wanted to turn back and grab Raito before making the eighteen-story climb up to where the taskforce should be, but decided against it. Raito was handcuffed and locked in a cell. He would be much safer if he stayed put, and L really wanted to stave off any awkward questions should the taskforce still be in the building.
L started climbing the stairs, being careful not to trip. It was rather late, so it might just be Watari, L, and Raito in the building, and that did not bode well with L. He cursed his lack of a flashlight and working mobile. From then on out, he'd make sure that every bloody room had at least one flashlight. He was sure that Watari would be able to provide one, but L had to find the older man first.
He opened his phone once again, annoyed to see that the bars indicating signal strength were still absent. He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
L didn't hear the scream that echoed below. He was already too far away.
Light screamed when he felt the end of a gun pressed against his temple. Ever since the incident where his father had led Light to believe that he was about to be executed, Light had shied away from guns, developing a minor phobia of them. Having a gun once again pressed to his head muddled his brain to the point where he could barely even think properly. However, it didn't take much thought for his flight or fight response to kick in, quite literally.
Light kicked out desperately, hitting the man in the gut. Whoever his attacker was, he was strong and had a gun, two things that were not in Light's favor. Light also had the added disadvantage of being handcuffed and weak-muscled for sitting around for two weeks.
Hearing the man give a muffled grunt, Light threw himself to where he knew the door to be. He'd open the damn thing with his teeth if he had to, but his shirt was jerked from behind, and he crashed back onto the floor, groaning at the sudden, jarring pain.
"Hold still!" growled a low voice. The man shoved Light face down on the ground, once again pressing the gun against his head.
Light froze, recognizing the voice instantly. He opened his mouth to question exactly what the hell the man thought he was doing, but before he could voice his question, he gasped as he felt a sharp prick behind his ear. It had to be a needle, and it was shoved deeply into the skin behind his ear.
Light gasped and groaned in pain as the man pulled the needle out from his skin. Whatever was injected into him, the effects were almost immediate. He could feel his muscles becoming weaker. He struggled against the man's tight grip in vain. What the fuck just happened?
"Don't worry. It'll all be over soon," whispered the man so quietly that Light could barely hear him. The man moved him to where Light assumed he had been sitting previously before the lights had gone off and the intruder had entered.
The man maneuvered him into position, Light's back once again against the wall. Light couldn't have moved if he wanted to. His limbs did not respond, lying limp and useless at his sides. His blood was on fire, but he couldn't move, couldn't even scream anymore. The only thing that could move was his heart, and it was pumping madly, hurting Light's chest with its intensity.
"There now," whispered the man, but Light didn't hear him this time. The roar in his ears was too loud. Light was vaguely aware of something touching his hair through the mind numbing haze of pain.
He didn't hear the man leave.
The only thing he could hear was a dull roar and his racing heart. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing or crying or screaming, because he was drowning in the pain - so much pain! - and you can't breathe or scream or cry if you're drowning. Fire rushed through his veins, lashing at his insides. His whole world was pain, and he just wanted it to end.
The last thought before Light finally gave in to the dark pain, before he faded away, was of his best and only friend. Lawli had been so much to him, and Light knew in his heart that Lawli could possibly have been even more, and now he only wished that he had told Lawli everything.
Light's heart gave one last shuddering, painful thump before falling silent.
L blinked at the sudden flood of light. He had made it to the sixteenth flight before the lights flickered back on. What was going on? Considering that he hadn't yet been attacked, there was a 40% chance that this whole ordeal could actually be explained without intruders or foul play. Deciding it would probably be best to continue up the last to flights to see if he could locate someone, he started climbing once again, only to be met with the scared face of Matsuda coming down the steps.
"Ryuuzaki! Oh, thank God! What's going on? Why did the lights go out like that?" asked Matsuda in a rush.
L shook his head. "That's what I'm trying to find out. Where are the others?"
"Oh, they left about thirty minutes ago, I was, uh, just using the computers for a, um, second . . ." Matsuda trialed off uncertainly.
L quirked his head and frowned. Matsuda shuffled his feet nervously. Judging by Matsuda's hesitant excuse and agitated fidgeting, L concluded that something else was going on that the other man didn't want L to know about. L was hit with a sudden suspicion.
"Were you responsible for the black-out, Matsuda-san?" demanded L. It wouldn't have surprised him, after all. Matsuda had a knack for causing unintentional mayhem.
Matsuda shook his head vigorously. "N-No! I didn't do anything, I swear!"
L's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what are you hiding, Matsuda-san?"
Matsuda gulped. He shifted his eyes up and then back down the stairs, obviously seeing if anyone else was going to be privy to the conversation. The only other person unaccounted for, assuming there weren't any intruders running around, was Watari, and L knew that the older man had probably gone to the basement to fix whatever problems occurred with the generators. Matsuda obviously didn't realize that the camera's were up and running again, if the blinking red light coming from the one in the corner ceiling was any indication.
Matsuda hesitantly met L's steely gaze. "You promise you won't tell anybody? Please, Ryuuzaki?"
L quirked his head again. "That depends on what it is, Matsuda-san."
Matsuda absently pulled at his sleeve nervously. "Well, you see, I don't have the internet at my apartment anymore. I, uh, used to just use my neighbor's signal, but my neighbor moved last week, so I can only use the internet when I'm here. And, well, erm, there's this girl I've met over the internet, and we've been - talking - and stuff -"
"Thank you, Matsuda-san. I understand what you are saying. You do not have to elaborate," hastily interrupted L. He honestly didn't want the know what kind of 'stuff' Matsuda got up to over the internet with strangers.
Matsuda nodded, looking highly embarrassed. "So . . . you won't, uh, tell the others . . . right? They'd never let me live it down."
"Your secret's safe with me, Matsuda-san," assured L.
Matsuda beamed. "Thank you so much, Ryuuzaki!"
L nodded, somewhat bemused by the man's antics. He had halfway been suspecting something underhanded, but the detective proved true to character in a most embarrassing way for all those involved.
"Will you help me ascertain that there are no intruders here, Matsuda-san?" asked L.
"Oh, yeah, sure. That's what I was doing when we ran into each other. Or, well, I guess I was just trying to find you or Watari, but looking for intruders is a great idea!" exclaimed Matsuda.
L resisted the urge to roll his eyes, pulling out his mobile and flipping it open. Finally, he had the signal to make a phone call. He punched in the number before delicately holding it up to his ear.
"Ryuuzaki? Are you alright?" asked the voice of Watari from the other end.
"Yes, Watari. Do you know what caused the black-out?" asked Ryuuzaki. He would be ready to hunt any infiltrators if Watari didn't know the cause, because if Watari did not know the cause by now, then there was a 70% chance that intruders were afoot.
"Seems like there was a power surge. It's completely fried the power circuit, and the generators weren't activated when the power was cut as they were supposed to. I've had to manual start them. I'll need to repair the power circuit and possibly the breaker before we can move from generator power," explained Watari.
"Hmm. A power surge? Watari, do you know why the cameras disconnected first?" asked L. He was relieved that the incident could be explained, but the cameras bothered him for some reason.
"I wasn't aware of that. Do you know how long it was between the disconnection and the black-out?" asked Watari.
"11.3 seconds," answered L immediately.
"It's possible that the surge caused it then. Anything longer than 15 seconds, and I'd say it was something else," said Watari.
L hummed in agreement, accepting the explanation easy enough until something proved it otherwise.
"Thank you, Watari. Would you mind finding me some strawberry cheesecake when you get a chance? I am going back down to see if the surveillance is in working order."
"Yes of course," said Watari.
L flipped the phone shut.
"So it was a power surge? No intruders then?" asked Matsuda.
"Apparently so," answered L, scratching his leg with his foot.
"Huh, well there is a lightning storm raging outside. Actually, it's been going on all day. Guess our electricity couldn't take the beating anymore, huh?," grinned Matsuda.
"Lightning storms do not necessarily cause power surges," said L, turning away from the man.
"Oh, uh, yeah. 'Night, Ryuuzaki!" exclaimed Matsuda.
L absently raised his hand in acknowledgement, climbing back down the flight of stairs. He would have preferred to take the elevator, but until Watari gave him the okay, he wasn't going to be taking any chances getting stuck in such a small space.
He'd make sure that the surveillance was in working order, then he'd go and check on Raito. No doubt Raito would be irritated at being left in the dark, both literally and figuratively speaking, so L would have to go and give explanations. Otherwise, Raito would be difficult later. Sometimes L felt as if he was dealing with a menopausal woman at times when it came to Yagami Raito.
L smirked at the errant thought. He should bring that up to Raito. He'd love to see the look on the other man's face.
Once he reached the room, L immediately set to work at bringing the monitoring systems back to working order. This particular room was specifically designed to view the containment cells only. The main monitoring room was on a different floor. He'd have to get Watari to deal with the other room once the man brought his cheesecake.
He flexed his fingers before typing in his final corrections. Yes, there. L was delighted to see the dark monitors flicker to life.
"Cheesecake?" asked Watari.
L was not so startled this time. He had heard the older man enter, after all, but Watari had waited until L had finished typing to announce his presence.
"Hmm, yes, thank you Watari," said L absently, taking the proffered fork.
"I should have everything back to working order in the basement by tomorrow afternoon," said Watari.
L nodded, his eyes never leaving his cheesecake. "Good. Would you mind taking care of the main monitoring room before you retire for the evening? I need to go and inform Raito-kun as to what has happened. There is a 95% chance that he is quite irritated at the moment."
"Actually, he looks like he's sleeping," commented Watari, leaning over L to see the monitoring screen better.
L frowned. He hadn't taken more than a cursory glance at the monitors since having them back online. He had reassured himself that Raito was still in the cell, and then he had turned his attention to his food. Watari had a point. Raito was in the same position as L had last seen him in, but his head was lolled to the side, and it appeared as if he had fallen asleep.
"The lights weren't off that long," stated L, rubbing his thumb against his bottom lip in thought.
"No, only for about twenty minutes," agreed Watari.
"Hmm, I will check on him either way. At the very least, I can save him from a bad headache. That position looks entirely uncomfortable," said L.
Watari nodded, giving L a rueful glance. L wasn't known to fall asleep in the most comfortable positions either.
"I'll make sure everything is in working order upstairs," said Watari, taking his leave.
L cocked his head to the side, staring at the still image of the man on the screen. He didn't take much notice of Watari's exit, nor did he bring his attention back to the half eaten cheesecake lying on the plate in front of him.
Raito was unnaturally still.
Usually, Raito tossed and mumbled in his sleep, and it was very unlike Raito to fall asleep in such a position. L frowned before pushing aside his cake. He swiveled out of his chair and shuffled to the door.
This time, the lights didn't start flickering madly when he touched the handle.
As L navigated though the maze of hallways that lead to his friend's cell, he couldn't help but wonder why he felt the overwhelming need to make sure that Raito was sleeping comfortably. He just wouldn't feel right if he left the man asleep on the floor in such an uncomfortable position. This was completely out of character for him. Usually, he wouldn't care in the least, but this was Raito, and as long as L had known him, Raito had been the exception to the rule. L shook his head. He was being ridiculous, but he continued on to his destination all the same.
When L entered the cell, he shivered involuntarily. He would need to have the heating adjusted. It seemed to have turned particularly chilly since the last time he had been in the cell. He gave a half-hearted glare at the prone figure leaning against the wall. Raito should have told L. L would have adjusted the temperature.
"Raito-kun?" he called, trying to rouse the younger man.
"Raito-kun, wake up," said L again, but Raito refused to move.
L sighed, roughly grabbing Raito's shoulder. He shook.
"Raito-kun. You will have a headache if you. . ." he trailed off, watching with something akin to horror as Raito slumped to the floor with a dull thud.
L's heart was beating erratically, his eyes widened, and suddenly the cheesecake hadn't been such a good idea. He swallowed painfully.
"R-Raito?" whispered L, hesitant, almost afraid of the answer.
The other man didn't make a sound, and even worse, he did not move.
"Raito? Raito? RAITO?!" L shook the other viciously, but the man still refused to move.
No No No No
"This is not amusing in the slightest! Raito, wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!"
Why wasn't he waking up?!
But Raito did not move, did not breathe.
"Stop it Raito! You need to wake up!" shouted L in desperation, but no matter how much he tried to shake him awake, Raito refused to open his eyes.
L's breath was harsh and ragged, but he had enough frame of mind to finally check the other man's throat for a heartbeat, praying to anyone who would listen, because L could not lose Raito, he just couldn't, and it just wasn't possible that Raito. . . was . . .
Dead.
Dead.
Raito was dead.
And suddenly, L was drowning.
EDITED: 7-3-09
A/N: Holy shit dude.
So, what did you think? Wanna SAY A LITTLE SOMETHING on the matter? Hmm? Hehehe.
Okay, seriously you guys, this story is far from over. If you stop reading now, you'll miss what happens next, and believe me, you don't want to miss what happens next. ;D