Chapter Ten
News
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." –Will Durant
"Is Light-kun sure he doesn't want to order anything more than coffee?"
He was really only asking to agitate the younger man, because he was quite aware at this point that Light Yagami rarely indulged in sweets. He preferred bitter or salted foods, or the occasional tart fruit –he had taken strawberries when offered a time or two-but cakes of any kind were never an option. L been pleased when he'd overheard Light and Misa's phone call and learned that their meeting was going to be set in a quaint little pastry café.
Light hadn't objected and L had felt vaguely triumphant for no real reason.
Which wasn't quite fair, as the last week and a half had been rather hard on the officer. After a month of gathering evidence for the Yoshiro case, a reporter had leaked out information about the main suspect in the paper. A few days later, said man drunkenly stumbled into traffic naked after being mugged and stabbed repeated. Yet another fitting death by Kira, for a man who had allegedly drugged and raped various Omega employees.
It wasn't an interesting enough case for L to worry about, but Light had been furious. His time wasted and his spotless record marred by Kira— but L couldn't help but think that the case had been taking an awful long time. That perhaps Light had decided it would be easier to murder the perpetrator.
It was out of character for Light to be so reckless.
But what if that was what the brilliant young man wanted him to think?
"No, thank you, Ryuzaki. I ate lunch at the hotel only an hour ago," Light replied, glancing down at the two large slabs of cake –one carrot cake, one strawberry— and L was taking bites of each. Sometimes back and forth, sometimes he focused more on one than the other. Other times, he scooped up one large bite with half of either flavor, which made Light's impassive face flicker in disgust.
"Then surely he has plenty of room for desert?" L prodded, his spoon hanging out of his mouth awkwardly.
"I'm quite alright without."
There was nothing else to do while they waited for Misa to arrive, after all, and bothering Light was quickly becoming one of L's favorite pastimes. "He doesn't even want a tiny bite off mine?"
This time, Light paused, releasing an exasperated breath. "If I take a bite, will you get off of my case?"
L scooped up some of the carrot cake on his utensil, dangling it half way across the table. "If by 'your case' you mean the Kira case, then I'm afraid he's out of luck."
Light rolled his eyes, "Obviously not, Ryuzaki. Must you turn everything into a debate about whether or not I'm Kira?"
"Kira?"
The feminine voice broke their argument and Light was the first to tear his attention away, though they were both a bit surprised that they hadn't noticed her approach. The NPA officer's face brightened in that tawdry way that it did when he was forcing it for the sake of someone else.
L took Misa Amane in, the small girl he'd seen only from a distance at the tennis arena and in magazines after to get more familiar with her job and how she might have come into contact with Kira. She was even more attractive in person, if possible, confidence in every hip motion and every flip of her long blond hair.
"Are you guys sharing? That's so cute." Misa declared, eyeing L's hand, which still held the outstretched fork with a small portion of abandoned carrot cake.
"Ah," Light's mouth smiled but his eyes didn't quite keep up this time, a speck of uncertainty flashing in them. "No, we aren't, but Ryuzaki here was certainly trying."
Misa pulled her white trench coat off her shoulders and draped it around the back of her chair with a flourish before seating herself in the seat beside Light. "Ryuzaki-san, is it? I'm sorry I didn't have time to introduce myself the other day."
"That's quite alright," L finally took the bite that Light no longer seemed interested. "Misa Misa needs no introduction."
His flattery resulted in a saccharine giggle.
"Your friend is so charming, Light," Misa grinned at both of them an L took pleasure in the unconvinced look on Light's face. "I can see you found someone who compliments you well, if that tennis match is anything to go by."
Taking a large bite of cake, L let Light handle that one, watching amusedly from beneath the safety of his hair. There was a moment's hesitation, likely where Light considered denying her assumption. Instead, he seemed to think that there was no use in real use in taking the time to confirm or deny anything.
"That tennis match was certainly something," Light humored instead.
There was no use in Light pretending to be interested in Misa romantically. If the letter on her phone was anything to go by, then she was in a fairly committed relationship with Kira. There were curious lines littered throughout, however, that made the nature of the relationship confusing.
Soon, my love, I will reveal to you who I am, once my victory has been cemented.
You will remember, and then you will understand the need for all of this secrecy.
"Now, what were you saying about Kira?" She asked casually as she waved over a waiter, but when L looked up he saw a sudden fierceness in her eyes that her tone of voice did not give away in the slightest.
L didn't know what to make of half of Kira's note, except that whoever the person was on the other end of the pen seemed to love Misa quite ardently. Or, at the very least, was good at pretending to.
Even the handwriting analysis was inconclusive. Somehow it changed over the course of the page, from the exact markings of someone who might fit Light's description, then to sharper lines of someone more severe, then to larger strokes and cutesy curls, like that of a teenage girl.
"Ryuuzaki and I were just talking about Kira Kira," Light explained, using the Misa-patented cutesy name for the entity. "He doesn't think it's anything unnatural, but I'm of the opinion it's got to be someone out there with supernatural powers. We get in that argument a lot."
So that's how they were playing. Alright, L could take on his role.
"Light-kun insists that super powers exist," L drawled disbelievingly.
"Oh, you must be one of those people that doesn't believe in anything he can't see." Misa winked at him, and when the waiter approached she ordered a doctored coffee drink with extra whipped cream and a slice of ice cream cake. "I'm going to have to agree with Light on this one though. I definitely believe Kira Kira exists."
"I gathered as much." L scooped up part of his strawberry confection. "I hope she takes no offense to my objections."
"Of course not!" Misa pulled her hair to one side, and without meaning it, L's eyes were drawn to the line of her neck. Amane was an Omega after all and showing one's neck like that was pretty close to flirtation, and if she was on suppressants, it certainly didn't smell like it. She definitely was wearing some sort of scent blocker, but she still smelled blatantly like her second gender, just with a flowery overtone. "Everyone has a right to be wrong, after all."
"Ryuzaki takes his rights very seriously," Light said with mock severity. A joke. He was rarely playful, and L couldn't help but think it suited him, even if it was an act.
Misa laughed again, the ruffles on her dress shifting as she all but danced in her seat. Beside her, Light brushed a lock of hair behind his ear and tilted his head to look at her better as he took a sip of his coffee. The motion caught L's attention as well, something in his mind nudging him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was in that instant.
"It's so good seeing you again, Light." Misa propped her chin up on her hand, every part of her seemingly present and interested in the interaction. Once again the waiter came by, this time to deliver Misa's coffee and cake. Once he was no longer in earshot, she lowered her voice. "I'm sorry I didn't try to get in touch with you sooner— after everything that happened that day, I was pretty distraught."
His dark eyes followed Light's hand when it rested on Misa's arm in a show of sympathy. "That's quite understandable, Amane-san."
"Please, call me Misa! And 'chan' is totally fine! Please don't remind me that I'm older than you are."
"Ah, Misa-chan it is then."
"There we go," She swung her hair back around and took her first bite. She smiled around her spoon and then plucked it out of her mouth once she'd swallowed. "You too, Ryuzaki-san! There's plenty of time to grow into being a mature, sophisticated woman, but for now I think this works."
"Misa-chan is quite wise."
"Oh, stop," Misa snickered sweetly. "You're going to make me blush."
"I suppose I should stop then," L replied with a dejected sigh, which only served to amuse the idol more. "I wouldn't want someone like Ryuga Hideki to get jealous."
This made her blink, grinning wryly. "Ryuga? You don't think we're together, do you?"
"I assumed he rushed Misa-chan out the other day because he wasn't fond of the way you were hugging Light-kun," L prompted in his way. Light's gaze turned to him as well, cocking an eyebrow at him from across the table. L had been too far away to actually see if there was any envy on the actor's part, but it was a good way to shift the conversation back in the direction of Kira.
"Oh, no! He really does just hate to be late, that's all." She waved it off. "It's common misconception. Ryuga is super sweet to me, and we did a romantic crime-thriller movie together that was super big, so now everyone sort of thinks we belong together. And believe me, for a little while I tried –I mean, have you seen him?"
"Yes, I have," L replied blandly, even though he knew the question was rhetorical.
"-but I have a boyfriend." Misa leaned forward as if whispering a secret, winking at him once more. "It's long distance."
"Is it really? That must be difficult for you," Light said, the faux sympathy never ending. L couldn't help but think that if Light was Kira, and these two were in some sort of relationship, then they were both brilliant liars.
"Oh, well, a bit," Misa admitted, licking her spoon and sighing. "But we're both busy with our careers right now, so it's really for the best."
"What does he do?" Light asked conversationally, taking a sip of his coffee.
"He's a writer." Misa told him, but didn't elucidate any more than that. L found himself wondering if she even knew much more than that about Kira, considering how vague the letter was about him as a person. Mostly it was waxing poetic about Misa's loveliness, and making proud claims about his plans for the world and his 'friends' that would help him change society for the better. "He travels a lot, but he says he'll be able to see me in person soon."
Suddenly, her face screwed up as if remembering something important.
"You know, some weird fan actually managed to steal my phone at the tennis shoot the other day!" She pouted, and L couldn't help but attempt to meet Light's eyes from across the table. As expected, Light did not allow the contact.
"That awful."
"I can't imagine why anyone would go so far, can you, Light-kun?"
"I certainly can't, Ryuzaki," Light's voice was subtly mocking. Misa shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of her sliver of ice cream.
"Oh well. The nerve of some people, right? I've been so busy getting ready for the East West Music Festival, I've been so frazzled already, without having to start over with a new phone." She gave a dramatic sigh. "It's such a big event, and it goes on for hours. Rehearsal has been a nightmare."
"Isn't that the one that happens on New Years Eve?" Light inquired with as much interest as L was sure he could manage. He knew the man had next to no interest, but he conveyed it well just the same.
That was when L's text tone suddenly went off. Misa didn't blink her eye, but L saw Light twitch with interest even while he attempted to feign curiosity. It was L's work phone, after all, and the task force didn't text him unless it was important.
"What—you mean you've never gone?" Misa asked him, surprised and even somewhat appalled. "But it's so fun! I mean, for me it's work, but you and Ryuzaki could come and have sooo much fun. There's music and dancing and cute little stands where private vendors sell trinkets…"
L glanced down during her description to read the paragraph that Naomi had sent him.
Heart attack with a suicide note, from just a few days ago. Says 'I will make my debut at year's end in the place where angels sing'. No one else has left a note before. It must be meant for you. What do you think it means?
"I've been going even before I became an idol. My mom used to take me every year, you know. I could definitely get you two tickets if you wanted to go."
"Well, Misa-chan, I think I'm going to be pretty busy with a big case I'm working on. I don't really have a lot of time for festivals."
"You're too serious, Light. You should really—lighten up."
Light laughed politely, and L decided he like Misa Amane quite a bit. "Even so, I really don't think we can. I don't want you to go through the trouble of getting us tickets—"
"It's no trouble at all, you know that. Besides, it'll be good to get you out of your head for once." Misa paused and turned her eyes on him. There was more intelligence there than L had previously noted. She was a manipulative little thing, wasn't she? "Don't you think so, Ryuuzki-san?"
"…Yes, actually." L stated, rather firmly, and Misa pumped her fist triumphantly.
The younger man turned his gaze on him, trying to hide the fact that he'd been riled. L was getting good at detecting it.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Really. You want to go to the East West Music Festival."
"More than anything in the world, Light-kun," L deadpanned, taking another large bite of his cake and turning a little smile up in Misa's direction.
"It's settled then! I'll email you the tickets soon, and you if you want, I'll send you some T-shirts for the bands that are going to be there, since I know that you're not super into the music scene…"
It was only when they were leaving the shop an hour later that L decided to explain himself to Light. Watari picked them up as usual and as they pulled away, L plucked his phone out of his pocket and showed Light the text that Naomi had sent him. It was fairly fascinating, watching Light's mind work from behind his eyes.
As L expected, it took him no time at all to come to the same conclusion that L had before.
"The years end…where angels sing? It sounds like a euphemism for heaven, but—" There it was. That victorious little light behind those eyes as it clicked. "The East West Music Festival. So that's why you said we'd go."
"Quite."
"If Kira's starting sending you messages, that means he's getting serious," Light mused, crossing one leg over the other as he thought. L couldn't help but be somewhat distracted by the motion.
After all, he had come to the conclusion that Light only crossed his legs in that fashion when he was comfortable. That generally mean when he was unaccompanied, or when the thought no one was watching. He'd never done so before while in L's lone company.
"And 'Misa-chan' was very insistent that we attend, don't you think?"
"So you really think that she's cooperating with him somehow?"
"I find it to be very likely," L thought aloud, pulling his gaze away from Light and out the window. "Either way, I think the festival will be quite illuminating."
The next several hours at the hotel were full of hard work and endless research. Naomi showed them the news article that she'd found of the man who had written a suicide note and then mysteriously died of a heart attack, and they looked other suicides that might have similar hidden notes. Mogi and Matsuda researched the festival, and they spoke about who would attend it and who would stay behind.
It was decided that Light, Naomi, Matsuda and L would all go to the festival. Watari, as usual, would act as their driver for a quick getaway if things when wrong and Aizawa and Mogi would stay behind, monitoring the bugs and hidden cameras that that would be attached to each of them them so that they could view the 'debut' with the rest of them, if it happened at all.
It took half the night, but eventually the excitement died down. Mogi was the first to excuse himself and Aizawa came next. Matsuda finally took a bed in one of the adjacent rooms, as did Naomi not even an hour later. Sunrise was inching its way closer, finding only L and Light awake and diligently working.
Then, at the crack of dawn, L saw Light curled over the desk with his head in his arms, eyes closed and looking more at ease than he'd ever seen him awake.
"Light-kun."
L spoke softly, expecting Light to be a light sleeper and amusing himself with the thought. It turned out not to be true, of course, and so he said his name again, louder.
No such luck.
He heaved a breath as he stood up, silently lamenting Light's refusal to wake as he closed the distance between them.
"Light-kun," L said again, reaching out to shake him awake. He put his hand on the young man's shoulder, but Light was apparently exhausted. He squeezed slightly and tried to nudge him into reality, his knuckles brushing his cheek as he did so. "Light-kun can take the couch if he'd prefer to…"
His words were lost.
Somewhere over the span of seconds that it had taken him to form the offer, Light had pressed his cheek more firmly against the back of L's fingers. The detective felt himself still at the sight. The usually composed and distant man was practically nuzzling into the back of L's hand and chasing the touch even when L started to shift his hand away.
The sound that came out of the slumbering's man mouth was a low little whine of discontent in the back of his throat and it ripped straight through to L's baser instincts.
There was nothing L wanted to do more in that moment than slide his hand back, to run the pad of his thumb over his cheekbone and ease the discomfort that seemed to suddenly be etched on Light's face when he'd started to take his hand back—
Oh.
He wouldn't have admitted to anyone that such a simple exclamation was what sprung to mind when he first realized that Light Yagami was an Omega. He would have liked for it to have been at least a full cohesive word like 'Eureka' if it couldn't be a full phrase of understanding.
Instead, it was the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, a resounding, singular sound that seemed to shut him down for an extended moment of incredulity.
Little things that he'd thought nothing of suddenly flashed in his head, along with things he'd thought meant Light could be Kira. The way he constantly spoke up on Matsuda's behalf, and how he outright refused to spend more than a day or so at the hotel even though there were plenty of rooms attached. His suppressant pills were probably what truly lie in the depths of his lock box. His P.O. Box, god, his stupid P.O. Box—
He probably had them shipped over. Of course! Bulbs seemed to turn on one by one in L's head. Who did he know that had access to high grade suppressants? Who did he know that had chemically altered a medication for their own purposes?
Even just the way he had, earlier that day, tilted his head to the side to expose the line of his slender throat. It had been subtler than Misa's but he'd likely responded to her motion without thinking. He hadn't flipped his hair like she had, but he'd brushed it aside as if to give a better view, the dormant part of him unable to help but compete in the presence of an unmated Alpha.
What a thought.
The secret that Light was keeping, the mask that he wore, it was all because he was an Omega? It seemed ridiculous that anyone would go to such extents to stifle a completely natural part of themselves, but after over a month of getting to know the man he found he could conceive it.
Though L knew better than anyone that Omegas could be as brilliant as any Alpha or Beta, most societies did not share that opinion. Light Yagami cared about how people saw him, he cared about propriety and honor and justice and had likely never been looked down upon in all of his life.
Was this all he'd been hiding? Was this what L had seen when he'd thought he'd found Kira—this desperation to keep a part of himself hidden away at all costs?
…He had never considered the idea that Kira could be an Omega.
They were the least likely to be murderers, and even when they were it was usually an abusive mate that they killed in passion. Sometimes the ones who had been abandoned by their mates would go mad and kill their children and then themselves. Mass murder was rarely on their agenda, though he knew statistics could lie and often did. He knew more than one Omega quite well, and none of them fit the mold of what most societies might consider typical.
But, for Omegas, all Omegas, being touched was practically a biological imperative. They craved it, even when it was not from an Alpha, and Light had reached for it in his sleep like he'd been deprived. L thought back to what he knew of Light Yagami, how he had never missed a class, or a day of work and wondered when he'd had the time to—
He hadn't.
Hell, he hadn't. That was the only answer that made sense. Adult heats tended to last a week, and Light had never gone missing for a full week during his time at To-Oh or at work. It was possible he'd taken advantage of his winter break and summer breaks, but somehow it seemed unlikely. Even if that were the case, he had no such breaks during his time at the NPA.
It was inadvisable at best and insane at worse. He'd had enough experience with the Omegas at Whammy's House to know what was healthy.
Brilliance did come in Alphas and Omega more often than in Betas, that was Watari had found in his abundant experience caring for gifted children, so in truth it shouldn't have been all that surprising. Unfortunately, Light Yagami had not been born into a society that was conducive to Omegas, like his successors had. Even they—
Abruptly, L felt an overwhelming urge to approach the younger man about it. To inform him that he knew, and it was fine, that it didn't even matter in the grand scheme of things, that it didn't change anything—
But that would be a lie. It already was one, considering he'd entertained the idea just for the sake of comfort. An oppressive weight settled in his chest as he considered the exhausted face of the sleeping man.
Light Yagami, have you ever in your life shown your true self? It must be a tiresome, lonely existence.
After another moment of contemplation, L cured back into his seat, deciding that he would allow the man his secrecy a while longer. He was curious what Light would do when faced with discovery, but that was a cruelty had no basis for at the moment.
Especially when the chances of Light being Kira had taken on a logarithmic curve.
It was still possible, of course, but it was a glimmer of what it once had been. It was almost disappointing, he found, that he would not be battling Light in this game of wits. The thought was suddenly, overbearingly depressing.
It meant that someone else was currently winning this war.
L took a deep breath, picked up his teacup, and then released it, letting it shatter on the floor. Predictably, the sound of glass splitting on tile woke Light out of his slumber, jerking him awake rather sharply with a gasping sound. His hair was disheveled, his eyes only half open, and it took him a moment to push himself up from where he was draped over the table, clearly more tired than he would have let on if he hadn't been half asleep.
"Ah, my apologies, Light-kun. My fingers slipped." The groggy, irritated look on Light's face was much more endearing than it had any right to be. "While Light-kun is awake though, he may want to go to bed."
Light blinked hard to wake himself up before nodding and standing to do just that. He mumbled 'Good night, Ryuzaki', and the detective returned the sentiment in a more alert tone. L could see his reflection in one of the darkened screens as he left. No, L told himself firmly, Light Yagami was definitely not adorable.
Omega or otherwise, he could still be a dangerous enemy or inscrutable ally.
And wasn't that something?
A/N: So, kind of the moment you guys have been waiting for, hm? Well, part of it. I've been dying to write this. Light has been discovered, but he doesn't know it! Dun dun dun. And on we go:
Alphas have 'ruts' that are triggered when they smell an Omega's heat. Suppressants can lessen the affects or –stronger ones— can stop it almost completely. A rut is basically a short-lived heat in which the Alpha feels the need to mate. This is also the only time that their knot forms.
How do female Alphas and male Omegas work? This gets a little graphic, so beware. I don't know how every other fic does it, but in mine, everyone starts off as physically Beta. Before presenting (basically puberty) even doctors are unable to tell which one a child will become. Omegas present with heat, but Alphas don't typically have an 'event' of presentation, though sometimes smelling heat will trigger a rut and that will inform the otherwise prepubescent kid what's going on with their body. Over the course of their presenting period (which lasts between 2-5 years) the body undergoes the changes necessary to be an Alpha or Omega. For Male Alphas and Female Omegas, this is pretty straight forward. The main difference is the formation of scent glands in the neck, wrists, thighs and groin (which every Alpha and Omega has). For male Omegas, they undergo changes that result in them being able to carry children, forming ovaries, creating eggs rather than sperm, blah, blah, blah, etc. Female Alphas go through similar changes, and produce sperm rather than eggs. Their clitoris enlarges and becomes a penis over the course of their presenting period. This generally takes longer than Omega puberty for obvious reasons, which is why most female Alphas present relatively early.
[takes a deep breath] Alright, science corner is over for now. I hope that helps. That is just the way it makes the most sense to me, but again, this probably will not come up more than in passing during the fic. But it gives you guys some back ground.
What was your favorite part of this chapter? Was Misa cute? Was Light? Was L's discovery what you thought it would be? What was your favorite piece of dialogue? What do you think this Kira has planned? Am I asking too many questions?
As usual, I'd love to hear what you think!
-Nilah
