Chapter 10
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Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.
"Alright, M," Beyond acknowledged. "Earlier, you told me of the plan that you have to break L free. However, you also said that you had sent someone to assess L's current situation so you could tie up the little details. You mentioned that he was heading up as we spoke- have you sorted everything out?" Beyond questioned, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice. He was anxious to know the soonest date that they could free L.
"Yes, I have- his information was most useful. L is currently in the infirmary," M said. "The last I heard, his room in the infirmary is under heavy surveillance from the outside- only Kira and the doctor assigned to L can enter and leave. From what I hear, as soon as L is cleared, he is to be escorted to a special holding cell on the Security Team's level- I have access to the blueprints. I've emailed them to you using the secure line Watari gave me access to. If you could have him pull up the blueprints, I can explain better."
M fell silent and Beyond looked over to Watari and nodded, gesturing to the table. Watari retrieved his laptop and turned it on, pulling up the email sent from M. He placed the laptop on the table, turning it so that most of those sitting could see it and a set of blueprints filled the screen.
"Ah, thank you, Watari," M said, coming back. "You see here- these are the true blueprints to Kira's mansion. I know that L was tripped up because Kira used fake blueprints to capture L- I've made sure that these are, in fact, the real blueprints. So, if you would watch carefully," M continued, the blueprints swiveling and zooming in onto what was marked as the very last floor, "This is the actual floor of the Security Team. I have it on good authority that an extra room is to be added here," a red dot appeared on the blueprints, on an empty space off to the side. "L's cell will be right here. I've been told that it is almost all of the way built- Kira pays well for speed and good quality. As soon as L is cleared to be moved, he will be transferred to this cell and put under the care of Mikami Teru."
"Mikami?!" Beyond exclaimed, sitting up and ignoring the pain in his side. "What the fuck is Kira thinking?! Mikami despises L! He'd kill L, if Kira didn't want him alive!"
"I know," M said patiently. "But we have some time. I've been told that L almost died during surgery to remove the bullet- it shifted while L was being escorted back to Kira and it ruptured the femoral artery. Luckily, they were able to stitch everything up and stabilize L, but it will be some time before he's able to be moved- I've heard that he's been doped up on drugs since the first time Kira went to visit him."
"Kira went to visit L? Is he alright?! Did Kira do anything to L?!" Beyond shot off the questions hard and fast, wanting answers. If Kira had done anything to L to extract information…
"As far as I know, L is fine- heavily drugged on painkillers and not the brightest lightbulb in the box, but fine physically, nonetheless. Kira needs him for information- he won't damage L too badly, as it could potentially interfere with L's ability to give that same information."
"That's so… heartless," Matsuda whispered, staring at the screen incredulously.
"Kira is ruthless when dealing with those who would oppose him. When I heard that L had been captured, I knew it was only a matter of time before the new L contacted me. We don't have a whole lot of time- as soon as L is well enough, Kira will begin L's interrogation. Depending on what L gives out- if anything- the methods Kira will use to extract this information will vary."
"Bastard!" Beyond hissed, gripping the arms of his chair tightly and glaring at the screen. "I swear to God- and not Kira- if he so much as harms a single fucking hair on his head…"Beyond trailed off, too angry to continue.
"Rest assured- I highly doubt that Kira will resort to harming L to get information. Doing so would be admitting his inferiority to L, in the fact that he couldn't get the information out of L by using his brain. Don't you see? For Kira, it has always been about matching wits with L. He hated the rebellion, yes, but he also loved the thrill of being truly challenged mentally for the first time. To Kira, L was the thing that he had desired most- something utterly unobtainable, because of his sheer, unmatched intelligence. L became a subconscious object of obsession for Kira- he just never realized it, because he was too worried over actually capturing L.
"But now that he has L within his grasp, the worry and stress that was blocking the obsession from coming out has dissipated, allowing his obsession with L to come to the front. Kira will not rest until he has gotten everything he wants from L- the information he possess, and his obedience and free will.
This is what I know will happen, if L is not set free. This is what will happen if Kira pushes L to give in, and L does."
The Task Force sat speechless, staring at the silent computer.
"That…sicko…" Mello growled, the first to break the silence. "That is one messed-up motherfucker."
Beyond nodded silently in agreement, his heart pounding in shock and terror as he contemplated the fate M had laid out for his twin. If Kira actually was able to force L to give in…
No!
"Enough speculating, M," Beyond said harshly, leaning forwards to fix his red eyes directly onto the computer. "Let's not pussyfoot around the issue. I've told you before, I will do whatever it takes to free L from Kira. Now, you had a plan- tell it to us, so that we can make arrangements."
"I will gladly do that, L," M said, and being called 'L' sent a wave of wrongness and disgust down his spine. It was his title now, but… L was L! He was not L- he would never aspire to be L, and it felt so wrong to be called by his brother's title. Nonetheless, he held back his feelings of disgust and listened intently to what M had to say.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you will have to wait a total of eight days before enacting the plan. But-" M continued, ignoring Beyond's strangled cry of outrage, "you would've had to wait anyway. L is not going to be moved for another week, when he will be cleared. And then, security will be extremely high that first night, so you would not be able to risk anything. Kira will be expecting something from the Task Force. As suspicious and paranoid as he is, he won't be able to help but be suspicious. And you- and I- need time to put everything into order and get everything set up. Have patience, L. And now, listen to my plan…"
Beyond pushed away his despair at the wait time to lean in along with the other members of the Task Force to listen closely to what M had to say, mentally planning out what he'd need and what he'd have to do while M explained.
At the end, Beyond leaned back and nodded, stating his fingers together absentmindedly. Although it stung to admit… Beyond did need time to acquire the necessary items and get everything set up to break L free. "I… see," Beyond said slowly. "I understand. The waiting is necessary in order to have everything work out. But you have concocted a most brilliant plan, M. Kira will never know what happened."
There was a light-hearted chuckle from M, and he said, "Yes, Light will be totally clueless."
Beyond blinked, hearing M address Kira as "Light."
Only close confidants of Kira called him that- not even Mikami Teru, Kira's faithful dog, called Kira "Light." His eyes narrowing, Beyond addressed M once more. "M. You've just called Kira by his given name. Only those extremely close to him do that- no one else dared to call him by that name, not even his most faithful followers."
"How close are you to Kira? Who are you?" Beyond demanded.
There was silence from the laptop for a split second, before M replied. "I've let my slip of the tongue give away too much already," M said, a slight undercurrent of anger- most likely at themselves- and panic lacing the voice. "Just have everything ready, and I'll contact you when I have more information. Until next time, L."
"No, wait!" Beyond exclaimed, reaching out instinctively towards the computer to prevent M from leaving, but the laptop's screen went black and silent.
M was gone.
L stared at Kira, heart threatening to seize at any moment.
Shinigami.
Death Gods.
They…existed?
No, they…they couldn't! Beyond would have told him if they had! He would have been able to see them with his Eyes! And he… he never left L in the dark. Never…
"You've not heard of the existence of Shinigami? That is most odd… I thought that your man with the Eyes would have told you of them… I've heard that you two are quite close- I doubt that he would have kept anything from you," Kira said, a taunting lilt in his voice.
L froze, eyes flickering up to glare at Kira from under his bangs.
No.
No.
No matter what, Kira must not suspect that he and Beyond were close. He could use that against Beyond, force him to give up. Beyond would do anything for him, just as he would do anything for Beyond- he would do anything to come and get him at the slightest hint that Kira was doing anything to him.
"Your source must be wrong, Kira," L snapped, brain finally clearing from its haze in his panic to divert Kira's thoughts from his bond with Beyond. "I suspect that you are just speculating- there is no absolute way to tell what sort of bond I share with the man with the Eyes."
Kira chuckled darkly, crossing his arms. "Oh, but L, you forget- my source is the Shinigami. He's went to your headquarters, I suspect- damned Shinigami won't tell me where it is, but he's met the man with the Eyes. And he's astute enough to ascertain that you and he are very close. Tell me, L- is he your brother or lover?"
L stared at Kira, heart thudding for a few moments, before his eyes narrowed into venomous slits. "Go to hell, Kira," L hissed. "I won't let you get your hands on him- nor any other member of my team." With that, he yanked the sensor on his finger off, causing the machine to start a high-pitched beeping, alerting the doctor that something was wrong.
Kira stepped back, unfolding his arms to glare at L. "You little fucker," he breathed. "Leading the doctor into barring me from this room won't do you any good later."
L grinned darkly. "Maybe not, but it will rid me of your repulsive presence, Kira."
"We'll see about that," Kira said, before turning on his heel and starting towards the door, almost bumping into the doctor on the way.
The doctor's eyes narrowed behind his thick glasses and he leveled a glare at Kira. "Kira-sama, I said-" the doctor started, but was cut off.
"He's fine," Kira snarled, pushing past the doctor. "The little shit pulled the finger-sensor. Get him healed as soon as possible- I need information and he's useless, stagnating here." With that, Kira swept out of the room in an angry huff, leaving the doctor and L behind.
Light angrily made his way up to his quarters, dropping into his chair once he got to his room and crossing his arms, glaring at the desk while he thought.
Even doped up, L was still stubborn as hell.
And…clever, Light had to concede. Pulling the finger-sensor trick to get the doctor in there… L had a very good memory, even when under stress and in pain. He knew that the doctor had threatened to bar him from the room if he was called to the room again.
Smart little bastard.
Leaning back, Light let out a sigh and propped his feet up on the desk, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling in contemplation.
L, L, L. The man occupied his thoughts, day and night. It was getting annoying, this unwanted obsession with his enemy. But… at the same time, Light could allow this fascination with the captivating man. L was the first one to have ever challenged him and even before, when L had made him want to pull out his hair and scream in frustration, Light had delighted in the thrill of matching minds with such a brilliant criminal.
And now, even when L was caught, he still served to fascinate. Even when L was trapped and helpless under his thumb, he still served to make Light angry, made him think and wonder what the mind behind the alluring black eyes and lovely face was plotting. For L had to be plotting something- he knew enough of the man to know that he had to have had something planned in case he was captured.
The tape that the new L had sent was proof of that. L had a plan to break himself out, and Light needed to know what it was. But, it involved the man with the Eyes, he was positive. L's reaction in the infirmary had confirmed that he and the man with the Eyes were close.
Unless… L frowned as a new thought popped in his mind.
What if L was faking his response and the undercurrent of the message to throw him off, somehow?
Though Light could see no purpose in this, he had to consider all the possibilities. But, what if he wasn't?
Light let a soft growl of frustration slip from his mouth. This whole damned thing was becoming so complicated- he had thought that after L was captured, the Task Force would crumble. But instead, it only seemed to strengthen their resolve and make them angry.
He reached up to rub his temples as he thought, trying to figure out a plan of action.
He needed the man with the Eyes; the new L. That much was certain. That was what he needed; get the new L, and that would force the rebellion to crumble. But how to do it?
He was reluctant to hurt L, to torture him for information. For all that he had it done to other criminals with little remorse, those criminals had been different. They had been lowlifes, filth and dirt of the worst sort- murderers, robbers, and rapists.
But this... this was L. This was his brilliant rival and the thought of having to resort to petty torture repulsed him- the thought of Ls' delicate white face and large, obsidian eyes screwed up in pain sent ripples of disgust over him, and Light pushed the thought of torture away, reserving it for a last resort if any of his other plans he might manage to concoct went to hell. Light was not a naturally cruel person, and the thought of causing someone like L- the man he had once so looked up to and admired, and had aspired to be like- ungodly amounts of pain was repulsing to Light.
Besides, resorting to torturing L for information was as good as admitting that he had not been intelligent nor clever enough to manipulate L into telling Light the information he wanted. It was practically admitting defeat. And Light never, ever, conceded defeat, especially not to a being like L.
Yet… it was, unfortunately, a method he might have to resort to if L proved to be a consistently stubborn bastard. And he was indeed proving himself to be one.
Not liking the path his thoughts were going down, Light shoved the thought of torture to the corner of his mind, to be contemplated only under the direst and neediest of circumstances.
Instead, he focused on the man with the Eyes, trying to figure out some way to get to him. He had L, and if the two were as close as Ryuk claimed, then perhaps he could lure the man out using L as bait. But, there were numerous things wrong with that plan.
Ryuk could just be fucking with him for his own amusement- L had vehemently denied any claims to sharing a close bond with the new L, but L could be playing him for a fool as well. Either Ryuk or L was lying and it frustrated him that he didn't know which. And he would not hinge any plans on the two untrustworthy sources.
But, perhaps… he could get the name out of L another way.
Light grinned and sat up as an idea came to him, one that might work very well, indeed.
He had wanted L to join him; he still wanted the brilliant, fascinating man to join him, in fact, and if everything turned out perfectly…
He would wait for L to heal- and then, on the day that it came time to move him, he'd do it personally, himself. He'd be extremely kind- Light knew he could be exceedingly charming when he wanted to be and had worked to perfect that charm to utilize it to the fullest as Kira. Someone as brilliant as L would most likely see through it- Light would lose some of the utter respect he held for L if he wasn't able to detect something suspicious.
But Light would give him no reason to doubt him- and then, after L was in the cell for a while, only being cared for by Mikami, Light would come for L. He would be kind, gentle, and charming, offering a reprieve from the utter boredom and sensory deprivation L would suffer from in that little cell. And he would continue this, until L trusted him-and then, he would drug L's food- just enough to get L talking and make him give up the new L's name.
And once he had the name, he could go public with it, threatening to kill the man unless he gave up.
No doubt the man would give up- his life was not worth defying Kira just to be spiteful- and then, he'd have both L and the man with the Eyes on his side. They would both be reluctant at first, Light knew, but eventually, they would warm up to his vision and come to see things as he did. With L's ingeniousness and the man's Shinigami Eyes, and Light as Kira-God- and handing out judgment on criminals with his Death Note, it would be perfect.
Once he had both men in the palm of his hand, his world would only then be a perfect utopia. With L and the new L on his side, there would be no more rebellion, and Light could then have his dream become a perfect reality.
L looked down, fisting his hands in the sheets as he tried to think.
This was bad.
Very fucking bad. Shinigami…. They did exist. Kira wouldn't lie about something like that.
That meant that Beyond had to know about them. But why hadn't he told L…?
It didn't make any sense. The only thing he could think of was that Beyond hadn't told him because he wanted to protect him somehow. But how would hiding the existence of Death Gods protect L?
A sudden shaking of his shoulder brought L out of his thoughts and he looked up at the doctor questioningly. "Are you alright?" He asked L. "Kira… he did not do anything, did he?"
L smiled briefly, shaking his head. "No. I'm fine. I simply found that I desired to rid myself of his company, so I pulled the sensor off of my finger."
The doctor smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners and showing off a set of deep crow's feet. "Heh. I see," he nodded, and bent to retrieve the sensor that was dangling off the edge of the bed, hanging on by a cord. "Still, let's get you hooked back up."
L allowed the doctor to reattach the sensor and then wiggled his fingers around, getting used to the weight of the sensor once more. "Doctor… How much longer before I'm cleared?" L asked quietly, shifting his thigh and wincing at the twinge of pain.
The doctor paused and sighed, rubbing his glasses on his shirt. "At least another week. We've been giving you hormones and enzymes- they help the muscle and skin cells multiply and repair themselves much faster, so it won't take as long as it would for you to heal normally. And judging by the tests we've been running… yes. A week is the most I can give you. I'm sorry," the doctor said regretfully.
L sighed, waving his hand. "No… it's fine, I-" L froze for a moment as a feeling of terror unbidden and unprovoked swept through him, his eyes widening at the feeling.
Beyond. The feeling must have come from Beyond. Panic overtook L momentarily as images of what could have happened to his brother flashed through his mind, and he brought a hand up over his heart in an attempt to calm it and banish the terror.
No. Beyond was okay. Kira could not have found him- he had given no sign that he had. Beyond was safe, no matter what the feeling was. Beyond had to be safe- God, please let Beyond be safe.
"But," The doctor continued, before stopping and regarding L concernedly when he saw the wide black eyes, stark face, and the hand clenched over L's heart.
The doctor, assuming L was contemplating what could potentially happen after that week was up and L was cleared and released, placed a hand on L's shoulder, attempting to soothe him through the firm touch and forcing the black-haired man to look at him. "L… I wouldn't worry too much."
"Why is that?" L asked, curious at the doctor's words and desperate to distract him from the feeling of terror from Beyond that had swept over his body so suddenly. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself and forced his attention onto the doctor and off of the feeling in his heart, reluctant to think about it.
The doctor took off his glasses, and stared L straight in the eye, leaning in closer to L. The proximity allowed L to see the faint spark glinting in the old doctor's eyes, and a sheen of utmost sincerity and honest belief in them.
"Because she's going to get you out."