Title: Che Sarà, Sarà
21. Badinage: Playful talk back and forth: Banter.
Italics: Flash back (For last chapter as well)
Halls drenched in crimson surrounded the young Yagami Raito, as he navigated his way down Whammy's many corridors. Obscured spots of light speckled the brown eyed boy's face as the moon raced past the shadows of the many tree branches and lit the dark passages of the school.
It was quite easy to tell that the teenage genius spent many a night going through the halls of the orphanage at the dead of night.
A shiver raked Raito's body as the sensation of being watched crawled up the boy's spine, yet not actually seeing anyone in the vicinity after a moment of glancing about. Over a week had past since his last meeting with L, and he hadn't seen the man since. Surprise, sur-fucking-prise. He'd be shocked to see the 20 year old within the next five years if he was lucky.
Mahogany eyes darted back and forth as the 13 year old reached his destination. The word 'Conservatory' lay written in bold letters across a metal door as Raito grabbed the door's handle, and roughly pulled it open.
The scent of Marigolds and Lilies and many other flowers invaded the boy's nostrils, as a feeling of nostalgia encompassed the boy's being. Without knowing it, a smile crept upon the young genius lips.
This had been both L's and his own secret haven on nights they could not find rest (which for L, was almost every night) or simply had too much on their minds. This place, where flowers continued to grow all year long, and memories were scattered along each reoccurring leaf, was where both boys (though usually it was Raito) could explode without having to worry about who would find them. It was their own world, and one Raito still cherished to this day.
"God, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" Yagami Raito paced within the small spaces between all the plants surrounding him as a pair of cool black eyes watched him religiously. A thumb rested squarely on the other boy's lips as the eight year old continued to mutter profanities under his breath.
"Raito-chan should calm down before he manages to kill one of the poor plants with his over the top hand gestures." L Lawliet cocked his head to the side as Raito stopped his movements almost immediately and snapped his head over to where Lawliet was crouching (he refused to call that sitting). The glare resting heavily on the little boy's face did nothing to intimidate the older of the two. "I am simply stating this for the plant's health, nothing more. You may continue with your ranting if you feel it is truly helping with your coping skills."
Instead of responding in renewed anger, which Raito would have done any other day of the week (and the bastard knew it) the boy's body sagged, his usually straight posture hunched together in way much like his companion's, along with an equally despondent face to go with it.
Alarm bells rung off in Lawliet's head, the teenager knowing it was serious if Raito was willingly dropping the 'I'm so much better than you' facade.
"Rai-chan?" Lawliet queried softly. The boy shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest in a defensive way. "Raito-chan, please."
Raito still refused to respond.
The teenager sighed as he got up from his seat and meandered over to the much smaller boy. Chestnut colored hair draped over chocolate brown eyes as spidery fingers swept past the young boy's bangs. Lawliet tilted the eight year old's chin up and tried to meet the watery gaze that continued to look at anything but his own face.
"Lawli..." Raito began shakily. "I don't wanna be here anymore. I, I just wanna go home! Why can't I just go home?"
Lawliet did not have much experience in matters of emotional breakdowns, but at this moment the impulse to empathize was far too great. Lanky arms reached around the small boy, tucking him close to their immediate person. A gasp escaped Raito's throat, but no protest was put up as the teenager squeezed the warm body closer to himself.
Other than the growing wet spot on his shirt, sniffles and small chocked murmurs were the only evidence that tears were actually streaming down the boy's cheeks (Raito did not cry, that was a fact). His grasp on the small genius tightened considerably as two scrawny arms wound themselves around the skinny teens waist. A warm sensation clutched the 15 year old's chest as Lawliet's obsidian eyes widened at the feeling.
Lawliet never knew being held could feel so good.
"Lawli," whispered a tiny, hoarse voice from inside his embrace, "let's run away together. Just you and me. Let's run and never look back."
Broken sepia eyes looked up at their only friend, knowing what his answer would be before hand, but for once (just this once) hoping he was wrong. If only the older of the two would give the ok, just say the word, everything would be fine. Everything would be-
"Raito, you know we can't do that."
Fine.
Disappointment filled the boy's stomach as he tightened his hold on Lawliet (his reality) before steadily letting go, the older boy's arms hanging limply by his sides.
"Yeah, of course..." Raito said mechanically, now regretting his emotional outburst. A cool hand came to his cheek, stroking it just ever so slightly.
"But maybe one day, we can leave this all behind... if only in the future." The emotionless voice simpered with something close to longing as Lawliet stared down at the boy in front of him.
"Together?" Raito asked shyly, which wasn't in his nature at all.
Lawliet smiled at the boy, the awkwardness in his features dismissed by the younger genius who was examining it.
"Together." He echoed back.
Raito wiped the remaining wetness from his tears off his cheeks and grabbed the teen's hand from where it hung by his side.
He smiled for the rest of the night.
Footsteps echoed within the small gardens as Raito blinked out of his thoughts and swung around, shocked at the sight that greeted him. A hunched figure stood by the door, watching him intently, before taking a couple more steps forward. A surge of anger bubbled in the 13 year old's chest as his feet immediately began to walk forward without his consent.
Damn feet.
"What are you doing here, L?" Raito snidely called out. It didn't matter at all to him that the boy was actually here, when for so long he wasn't. He would be gone soon, and he couldn't take any goodbyes right now. "Haven't seen you in over a week. I figured you would be gone for a good three years after last week's little conversation. Good job, you managed to surprise me."
L said nothing to the younger boy, still walking forward, oblivious to the frown on Raito's face. As he reached the confused boy, L stopped directly in front of him. Raito blinked confusedly at the 20 year old detective, but L just continued to stand there, the awkward silence hanging heavily in the air.
"L..." Raito began unsuredly. The man seemed to be contemplating something, but Raito couldn't be sure. "L, why are you here?"
Worry began to blossom in the younger's mind, hoping this wasn't some bearing of horrible news.
"Lawli..." Raito quietly implored, now catching L's attention. One more step was taken, the few inches of height not not making even the slightest of difference as Raito tilted his head up slightly to look L up into his eyes, the worry he felt glowing on his face.
All Raito saw was midnight black eyes before the sensation of deliciously warm lips lightly pressed against his own. Butterflies began fluttering in his abdomen as the familiar sensation of arms, now sinewed with lithe muscle, wrapped themselves around his waist as his eyes closed involuntarily.
The lips were gone almost as soon as they had arrived, and Raito secretly mourned their loss.
"Run away with me, Rai-chan." L pleaded quietly, as the boy rested his head against the other's chest, eyes still tightly shut as Raito tried to control the beating of his rampaging heart. "We can run away together, just you and me..."
Raito smiled unconsciously as the familiar words rang in his ears, the memory not lost on the other, as well. "Run away?"
L hummed as he nodded his head, still directly above Raito's. Raito's mind couldn't comprehend it. "Are you serious, L? Because I don't think I could take this right now."
"Raito-kun knows I do not like to repeat myself with such matters. I either mean something, or I do not."
And that's when Raito knew this wasn't a joke. L was serious (as he was 95 percent of the time, but still!) and when L was serious, he meant business. All the anger the boy felt accumulate over the past four years began to dissolve, the true meaning of what L was saying sinking into his mind.
But Raito wouldn't make this easy.
A smirk played on Raito's still burning lips as he pulled away from the embrace and turned his back on the insomniac detective.
"So you basically abandon me for almost four years, come back here, expecting me to just act the part of the child, don't apologize for either fact and just expect to sweep me off my feet with a kiss and proposition, Mr. L Lawliet?"
The playful tone of his voice caught L by the throat, allowing a small chuckle to quietly escape the older man's lips.
"Raito-kun sums everything up so nicely. Would Rai-chan perhaps care for a treat for his superb summarizing abilities?" L could almost see the boy bite his lip in hidden laughter without having to look at him.
"Hm. And you call me the arrogant one." L smirked as he shoved his hands inside his pockets and silently slinked behind the younger teenager until his back was about an inch away from his chest. "I never claimed to not be otherwise, Raito-kun. But you have yet to answer me."
Raito's body trembled from the cold as a breeze blew by from a cracked opened window. 'Don't they know that cold air is bad for plants?' Raito thought to himself. Equally cold hands traced up bare, short sleeved clad arms as L placed his head against Raito's. "Raito-kun..."
"Anywhere you go, L, you know I want to go too." Raito finally turned around within L's embrace and smiled crookedly. "I'm surprised, though. Watari hasn't chased you down by now, and usually he has you by an invisible leash. Aren't you worried that they-"
"You don't have to worry about that." L interrupted. "I have a plan, and if all go's well, we will never be bothered by those people again. Now, if you would kindly run to your room and pack your things..."
Raito blinked before quickly nodding in acceptance. Both boys snuck out of the conservatory and into the main corridor, Raito looking a L for a clue. He had a feeling this had to be done quickly, or else things would not go the way L wanted them to.
And that was unacceptable.
"I will meet Raito-kun at the tennis courts and we will rendezvous from there." L whispered before they both quickly went in different directions; Raito, to his room and L, to get their escape en route.
The 13 year old genius gathered only the essentials, along with an old picture of his family. He did not even look back as he quietly shut the door and ran down the dim corridor. Stealthily, Raito made his way to the entrance of the orphanage and crept out of the building, only to begin running at a break neck speed towards the other end of his destiny.
The familiar lanky form greeted his sight from a distance as he ran even faster. The boy skid to a halt as he saw L gazing at the scenery around him, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes.
"L?"
L turned to Raito, slowly coming out of his self-induced trance. "Is Raito-kun ready? After this, I doubt either of us will be able to return to this place unscathed."
Raito nodded without hesitation, this time even more fervently than the last. L grabbed the boy's hand and began leading him away from the orphanage. "Raito-kun will not miss Whammy's at all?"
"No." Raito responded quickly.
L glanced at the boy over his shoulder, noting the way Raito kept his gaze towards the ground. "Why?"
Raito blushed prettily, keeping his eyes away from L's person. "Because there's nothing worth missing there that I don't already have with me."
L turned forward as a light shade of pink dusted his own pale cheeks. If this was how Raito affected him now with his innocent words and gestures...
Dear God, (which there was a 48 percent chance there was one) help him.
Raito smiled to himself as L continued to lead them to their unknown destination, wondering just what the future would bring with this eccentric ex-detective by his side.
'Finally... I'm home.'
Omfg, I think I'm pooped. ((stares at readers)) Are you satisfied? And no, this is not the end of this au. You'll know when it's the end. Muahaha. But, as you can see, Chibi!raito and Teen!L have now transformed to RenegadeOrphans!raito and L. Show some love, yes?
And by the by, I am thinking about turning one of my au's into a full length, multi-chaptered story. I think I know which I would like to choose, but I want to hear the reader's opinion. Please let me know which au you would like to see into a separate story in a review or pm if you would like! (and no, every single one is not an option, just your fav. would be nice. o.o)