A/N: . . . . . . . . . . .
*giggle!*
XD
The Art of Drowning
A Clever Ruse
If there was one thing that the past couple of weeks had taught Light, it was that his sense of self preservation was unbelievably strong - and getting stronger after every gun, needle, knife, baseball bat, and fist thrown his way.
This was why Light was not about to take this 'killing him' business lying down.
Light threw himself out of bed, hoping his momentum and the surprise would be enough to overpower the intruder. Light tackled the hulking shape, which he could barely make out in the darkness, slamming his elbow into a rock hard stomach.
"Ow, fuck!" harshly whispered the intruder, grabbing onto Light but thankfully dropping the gun.
Light paused, his breath catching. "Tank?!"
The intruder, who had grabbed Light by the back of the shirt and was currently manhandling him onto the floor, froze.
"Asian guy?!"
Tank abruptly let go, and a sudden light illuminated Light's face. Tank fumbled with the flashlight, the beam shaking and hurting Light's eyes.
Tank gasped. "Holy shit! I almost killed you - again!"
"What are you doing here?!" exclaimed Light, so relieved that he felt faint.
"I got a job! Someone wanted me to kill - hey! Light Layfield?" asked Tank, incredulous.
Light stared, the dim light of the flashlight illuminating Tank's surprised face.
"Y-yeah. That's me. Someone hired you to kill me?" asked Light, shocked. Who the hell would even know where he was?
Tank nodded dumbly. "Man, this isn't good. That, uh, situation you were telling me about at breakfast. You didn't happen to kill three guys, did you?"
"What?! No! I was just there! They told my uncle that if he didn't get them the money he owed them, they were going to kill me, but him and his friend got them before they could kill me and told me to - wait. How did you know it was three guys?" asked Light, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Tank blew out a breath. "Damn, Light Layfield. You are in serious trouble. They found your blood at the scene, and there's a warrant out for your arrest. They think you did it."
"What the fuck?!" gasped Light, his stomach twisting. How the hell did they find out the blood belonged to him? And he was wanted for murder? Murder he hadn't even committed? Light didn't fail to see the irony - fucking cosmos!
"Yeah, it's true," nodded Tank, giving Light a miserable look.
"But why are you here? Who sent you to kill me?" asked Light, desperation coloring his voice.
"A regular of mine. Told me where to find you, gave me the key and everything. Said you knew each other, but he thought you were planning on killing him or the orphans or something. I didn't connect the name you gave me earlier to Light Layfield. I've just been thinking of you as Asian guy!" explained Tank.
Light froze. "A regular? Who knows me and gave you a key?"
Tank nodded. "Yeah, I don't know his name though. He just goes by 'R.'"
A memory of a huge ring of keys flashed through Light's mind.
"Is he old, with glasses and grey, thinning hair?" asked Light, not really wanting to know the answer - dreading it, really.
"Yeah, that's the one. Mean old bastard. He's been utilizing my services for years, and my father's before me," said Tank.
And Light slowly, agonizingly, felt the pieces coming together.
Been using a killer for hire's services for years? Wanted Light dead? Surely Roger would have just turned Light over to the authorities immediately if he believed Light was a murderer. So why go to the trouble of arranging Light's murder? Roger wouldn't have wanted him to be killed by a killer for hire if there wasn't something . . . he wanted . . . to . . . hide?
Psycho fucker. Could it be? Could Roger be psycho fucker? What the hell?!
"We've got to get you out of here. If that old dude wants you dead, he won't stop until you are. This is some serious shit, Light. I may not know the guy's name, but I know what he does. He's been involved in something dirty for years, and it's especially fucked up considering his position here and all. It's just fucking ironic that he's in charge of the place that trains little kids to succeed that super detective. Can you imagine how quick that L guy could catch you if the old dude sics him on you?"
Light felt his breath leave him, stunned. He stared at Tank stupidly.
"Wh-what?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
Tank gave his a confused look. "Since old dude knows L personally, he'd probably set him on our trail . . . Fuck, that is going to be bad for business, isn't it?"
"Roger knows . . . L?" asked Light, his breathing shallow and painful.
This couldn't just be a coincidence, and the likely hood of Roger being psycho fucker just went up exponentially. It was just too damn coincidental.
"Roger, huh? So that's his name. Yeah, he does, which means we've got to get you the fuck out of here before - Hey? Are you okay? You look a little pale," said Tank, patting Light roughly on the back.
Light paid him no mind, his brain quickly picking apart the conversation he had had with the man today. An orphanage for the intellectually gifted? Fellow who hardly visits? That huge bowl of candy on the coffee table . . . But the likely hood of Light being placed in room belonging to -
Wait a second . . .
Wasn't there somebody . . . ?
No. It couldn't be! It wasn't possible!
But . . .
What if . . . ?
"Oh my God. Oh my God. Holy fucking shit -" Light stopped himself, panic coursing through his veins. He had to look. But there was just no way - no fucking way- and the man couldn't sleep through any of this, but who else - no surely not. He was just jumping to irrational conclusions due to all the fucking stress he'd been under lately.
"Asian guy? Are you okay?" whispered Tank, sounding a bit frightened himself.
"Let me see that flashlight," demanded Light.
Tank handed it over immediately, and Light took it with shaking hands before pointing it to the opposite side of the bed.
Familiar, messy black hair peaked over the covers.
Light dropped the flashlight in shock.
"Oh God. Oh my - fucking hell! How can this be happening?!" whispered Light, vaguely feeling his body go numb with shock.
"Hey, I didn't know you were getting it on with some hot piece of as - Is that a guy?" asked Tank suddenly.
Light didn't respond. He just continued to stare blankly at the gently breathing figure beneath the covers. How could this have even happened? The chances of Light and L . . . well, the chances of them even meeting again were slim to none . . . but this? This was absolutely ridiculous!
"Hey, come on, Asian guy! It's okay. My brother's gay. Why, when I gave college a brief try-out, I even fooled around with a few guys. I'd be a hypocrite to hold anything against you," assured Tank.
Light just nodded dumbly, his head spinning. If Roger was truly the one after Light, then he sure as hell wasn't going to leave Lawli here within easy reach of psycho fucker. Which meant he'd have to take Lawli with him.
Light felt like he was going to throw up.
How could he face Lawli anyway? After everything that's happened? After all the lies?
L thought Light was dead, for Christ's sakes!
"Tank, you've got to get us out of here. That guy especially. I don't care what happens to me, but please, you've got to protect that guy at all costs," begged Light, deftly trying to will away the tears that threatened to fall. He was turning into some sort of bloody emotional wreck. What he needed was to snap the fuck out of it.
Tank seemed to get the picture, and he squeezed Light's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Light winced at the strong pressure, but the pain helped ground him.
"Don't worry man, I got both of your back's. Now how about we grab your friend and get the fuck out of here, huh?" replied Tank.
Light nodded, grabbing the flashlight and pointing it once again at Lawli. Light was honestly surprised to see the man fast asleep, his thumb softly grazing his lips.
"Lawli . . ." whispered Light, and he caught himself before he could touch the other man's face.
Tank suddenly leaned over L. "Hello?" he all but yelled.
Light jumped. "Shhh! What the hell?"
"Dude, I think he's been drugged. No normal person could sleep through the racket we've been making," commented Tank.
Light paused. "You're right, but who would - oh."
Tank gave him a knowing look. "So you remember now, huh? You sly dog."
Light punched the other man lightly on the shoulder. "Not me, you idiot. It's was his, uh, grandfather. Sometimes the man drugs him because he's an insomniac."
"Oh, well, that's the story I'd stick to," said Tank with a grin, and Light knew the other man was joking.
"We can carry him between the two of us, right?" asked Light hesitantly.
Tank rolled his eyes. "I'll get him. You get your stuff. How about that?"
Light nodded, watching with worried eyes as Tank took Lawli in his arms, wishing that he was the one to carry the raven haired man. L looked that same, if not a bit thinner, and Light yearned to touch him, but he held back.
Light threw his duffle bag over his shoulder, thankful that he didn't unpack anything, and followed Tank out of the mansion, surprised that the huge man could be so silent as he deftly navigated the darkened corridors.
Maybe the cosmos wasn't after him as much as Light previously thought. Okay, so his luck had been pretty bad lately, but if Tank hadn't burst into his hotel room the other morning, and if that stupid ice cream truck hadn't almost creamed Tank, then Light seriously doubted he'd be riding in the back seat of a fairly decent car with Lawli's head resting in his lap while Tank drove them to safety. More than likely, he'd be riding in the trunk of this fairly decent car if his - now questionably - bad luck hadn't struck.
Well, being a killer for hire must pay nicely, if the neighborhood Tank turned into could attest to anything.
Light gazed up at the large house Tank stopped in front of, surprised at it's relative normalcy for belonging to a killer for hire. They were three hours out of Winchester, in some town Light didn't know, in some nice middle-class neighborhood, and frankly, all Light really wanted to do was find a nice dark place to curl up - preferably a windowless room so the sun wouldn't bother him - and sleep. The past twenty four hours had been hell, to say the least.
L stirred, his head moving slightly, and Light froze, expecting the man to awaken, but thankfully L stayed asleep, and Light went back to idly stroking the man's raven locks.
Tank sighed from the front seat. "So what do you think that grandfather of his will do when he discovers his grandson's missing?"
Light winced. Good question. What would Watari do?
"I can't even begin to guess," admitted Light quietly.
"Probably should have left a note or something," muttered Tank.
Light refrained from snorting. "It wouldn't have worked."
Tank shrugged. "Well, guess there's no point in worrying about it now. Let's get the both of you inside. You can put him in the guest room. You can carry him, right? Or do you need help?"
Light shook his head, his fingers unconsciously gripping L's hair. "No, I got him."
Tank nodded, but opened the back door for them all the same. Light carefully extracted himself from the car before heaving L into his arms, praying that the man would stay asleep. He must have had some residual good luck built up, or maybe his bad luck was exhausted, but L stayed asleep, and Light tried to stop the blush as L snuggled into his chest.
Tank chuckled softly, and Light shot him a glare.
"Come on, Asian guy. Let's get your friend upstairs, and then I'll treat you to some coffee. How's that sound?"
"Coffee? Absolutely amazing."
Light gritted his teeth as Tank led him upstairs, his muscles straining underneath L's weight. He was thankful to set the man down in the modest bed, pulling up the blanket that lay draped across the bottom of the bed to tuck in his friend.
Light stared down at L, re-memorizing his features. He had never seen a more welcome sight in his whole life. He gently touched the man's soft hair, letting his fingers linger.
Tank cleared his throat pointedly. "Coffee?"
Light startled. He had almost forgotten the other man was there.
"Please," said Light, following Tank out the door and down the stairs.
Tank brought him to the kitchen, and Light gratefully sat down at the table, his head in his hands. What was he going to do when L woke up? The detective would most definitely freak out.
"So, here's what I figure. That old guy sent me to kill you, right? And of course he wanted me to dispose of your body. Said he didn't want any evidence that you were at the orphanage. So, I'll just tell him the truth, kind of. I went in, shot you, found some strange guy in bed with you, shot him too because I never leave witnesses, and then disposed of both your bodies. There, that should work. He has no reason to suspect anything's shifty. I've been working with him for years, I'd know," said Tank with an appreciative nod.
"And when will you get the chance to talk to him?" asked Light skeptically, keeping his head in his hands.
"Oh, he always calls the next morning to make sure everything went well," commented Tank, flipping on the coffee machine.
"Just how often do you work for Roger?" asked Light, lifting his head to regard Tank in curiosity.
Tank shrugged. "Old dude's been a customer for a long time. I'll get a job from him a few times a year or so."
Light sighed, before sitting up straighter as a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Wouldn't shooting me have been a bad idea? What if someone had heard the gun?"
"That's what the silencer's for, Asian guy!" chuckled Tank.
"Oh, right," mumbled Light. He should have figured that.
"Here, drown your sorrows," said Tank, setting down a mug filled with to the rim with delicious, black coffee.
"You remembered. I'm touched," said Light upon seeing the darkened brew.
"Well, it's not like I didn't buy you coffee yesterday morning or anything," smiled Tank, sipping at his own cup.
Light closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. He didn't know how much longer he had left before L would wake up, but surely it wasn't that long. The wait was killing him though. It felt like he was counting down the minutes to his execution.
"So what's up with that guy upstairs? You seemed pretty surprised to see him, even though he was lying in your bed and all," said Tank, regarding Light with wide-eyed curiosity over his mug of coffee.
Light groaned. "I was surprised to see him. I still don't think I've quite grasped the situation, to tell you the truth. I didn't even know he was in bed with me! I wasn't in bed five minutes before your burst in, so right when I was figuring out I wasn't the only one in the room, you came in, and the fact that someone was in my bed took backseat to you and your bloody gun."
"Yeah, uh, I'm real sorry about that," apologized Tank, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Light waved away his apology. "Honestly, Tank. I'm getting used to it. It's fine."
Tank laughed, and Light jumped at the huge man's booming tenor. "But you obviously know the guy, right?"
Light hit his head hard against the table.
"I'll take that as a yes, then," said Tank sagely.
Light growled. "Would you believe that he thinks I'm dead? He honestly believes that I died weeks ago. Hell, they even had a bloody funeral for me! What the hell is he going to do when he wakes up to find that not only has he been kidnapped, but he's been kidnapped by his supposedly dead friend - and a killer for hire?"
Tank blinked. "Wow. He thinks you're dead? Seriously? Jeez, man. I don't know what he'll do when he wakes up. I mean, dead? That's seriously fucked up, and I really want to hear that story, but I want to get at least an hour of sleep before old dick head calls. So tell it to me later, alright?"
Light nodded miserably. "I guess I better head upstairs. Suppose I should just hit him all at once with all this madness. Maybe my presence alone will shock him so bad I'll have time to explain where we are before he tries to kill me."
"It's as good a plan as any," agreed Tank, putting his mug into the kitchen sink.
"Hey, Tank?" asked Light, his voice hesitant, stopping Tank half way out the door.
"Yeah, Asian guy?" replied Tank, looking back over his shoulder.
"Thanks," said Light simply.
Tank threw him a crooked smile. "I got your back, Asian guy."
L hated Watari.
It was just that simple.
Because Watari had tricked him - again - and now L was half-awake and fuzzy from the drugs. It would take him at least another five minutes before he could shake off the after-effects, and even then, he'd be paranoid about accepting tea from the older man for at least a month before he wouldn't wonder what could be lurking at the bottom of his teacup.
Then, it would eventually happen again. It always did, and L could honestly say that he hated Watari at that horrible, disorienting moment between sleep and consciousness. Of course, when he was fully awake, he'd probably think hating Watari a little harsh, but right now, L was going to bask in his annoyance. He felt entitled.
L kept his eyes shut, because he could sense the light on the other side of his eyelids, and he was wasn't quite ready to face the day, he stretched a bit before snuggling back down against his pillow. He flexed his nostrils. Hmm, his nose itched a bit, but he just didn't have the energy to scratch it.
His ears perked at the quiet opening on his bedroom door, and L frowned minutely. Stupid Watari. No doubt he was bringing L some concoction or other. He just really hoped the tea wasn't drugged this time. Watari had once drugged him twice in a row. L didn't speak to the man for a week.
He could feel the presence of the other man hovering over him, and L grudgingly cracked open his eyes.
Yagami Raito stood above him, staring at him with one of those patented 'deer in the headlights' look.
L smiled slightly. Mmm, nice dream.
He closed his eyes again.
. . .
. . .
. . . Wait . . .
L's eyes snapped open in horror.
EDITED: 7-4-09
A/N: . . . . . .
Ahhh, it feels good to be me.
Really good.
Sinfully good.
XD