A/N: Update! The story is going to be a bit longer than I originally thought. By how many chapters? I don't know yet.

Chapter 25: Stay

L was perched on a chair next to Light's hospital bed. The teen was still unconscious, but he was in stable condition now. He had gone through surgery without any complications. The bullet had been removed from his leg, and the surgeon had stitched up the gunshot wound. Light was covered in bandages now. Each of his fingers on his left hand were individually wrapped with sterile gauze. A large gash on the side Light's forehead and other various cuts were also bandaged. Several of his bruises were still visible though. He had purple discoloration around his right eye and on his jawline. There were marks on his neck too, from someone strangling him. L could actually see the impressions someone's fingers around Light's neck. The Yotsuba had beaten the hell out of him.

Pure rage rattled inside L like a monster in a cage. His hands shook slightly until he tightly clenched them into fists. He had all the high-ranking Yotsuba members waiting in separate cells in his building. L would interrogate all of them. Namikawa, Mido, Takahashi, Shimura, Kida, Ooi, and Hatori would all suffer for what they did to Light. And then, they would be executed. Death by lethal injection was their sentence. L wished he had a chance to watch Higuchi die as well, but at the same time, he was glad that Light had killed him. It had clearly been self-defense. Higuchi must have been the one who shot Light in the leg. The bastard deserved to die.

L gazed across the dark hospital room. Through the open door, he could see Mr. Yagami talking to Light's doctor in the hallway. After the doctor bowed slightly and walked away, Mr. Yagami entered the dimly lit hospital room.

He looked exhausted, but he was smiling. "The doctor expects Light to make a full recovery."

L felt a huge sense of relief as he smiled back. "That is excellent news, Mr. Yagami."

"Yeah." He nodded and let out a tired sigh. "Thank you for giving Light blood. The paramedics said you saved his life." Mr. Yagami was silent for a moment, then he sat on the chair on the opposite side of Light's hospital bed.

He hesitated before he finally said, "I'm really grateful that you worked so hard to get my son back, but…"

L frowned. It was obvious where this conversation was headed. "Now that Light-kun is safe, you don't want me near him."

Mr. Yagami sighed again. "I want to do what's best for Light."

"So do I."

"Being associated with you is dangerous. Light was only kidnapped because he knew you. If he had nothing to do with you, none of this would have happened."

L glared at him. "I am aware of that, Mr. Yagami. I will ensure that this doesn't happen again. Light-kun will have the best security-"

"The best security is staying away from you." Mr. Yagami met L's irritated stare. "Once Light is better, I'm taking him home. Then he can start school again and have a normal life."

"A normal life?"

"Yes. Normal." He insisted, "Light won't have anything to do with you from now on."

"Mr. Yagami, your plan is irrational. So far, Light-kun's name has been kept out of the media, but it is likely that his involvement in the Yotsuba case will become public. Even if we successfully hide his involvement from the media, we must assume that other criminals connected to the Yotsuba already know about Light-kun. You cannot simply bring Light-kun home and pretend this whole situation didn't happen."

"Then what do you suggest?" Mr. Yagami snapped angrily. "That Light should hide for the rest of his life? Like he's in witness protection?"

"That is an option. I could have your whole family relocated."

"No, I have never run from criminals and I refuse to start now." Mr. Yagami crossed his arms. "My family isn't going anywhere. I can protect them."

L stated harshly, "Without my assistance, I estimate that your family will be dead within a week."

Mr. Yagami's eyes widened in shock. He looked confused. "But… But we've captured the Yotsuba-"

"I will always have enemies, Mr. Yagami. That is why I already have thirty-four agents guarding your house, and sixty-seven agents guarding the hospital. I will never underestimate my enemies again, and neither should you."

While wringing his hands, Mr. Yagami asked, "With all those guards, do you think Light can go to back to school safely?"

"Perhaps… But I strongly recommend relocation. Your family is welcome in England-"

"No," he quickly refused. "London was bombed because of you. You live there, don't you?"

"I don't live in London, but I am British," L admitted.

"I don't want Light to live in the same country as you. We are staying in Japan."

L clenched his teeth, barely containing his anger. "Mr. Yagami, I want to protect your family, but you are making it very difficult."

"I don't need help protecting my family. My department can handle it. I'll have police patrol my house."

L snapped, "Your stubbornness will endanger Light-kun."

"If anyone has put him in danger, it's you!" Mr. Yagami shot up, yelling, "It's your fault the Yotsuba took him!" He pointed at his son as tears sprang to his eyes. "Look what those bastards did to him! They nearly killed him!"

"Mr. Yagami-"

"Why did you involve my son in your fucked-up life?!"

L stood, tightly clenching fists. "Light-kun came to me. He chose to attend Wammy University for the sole purpose of meeting me."

"Oh, so now it's Light's fault?!"

"No!" L shouted at him. "It's not Light-kun's fault that any of this happened, and…" L wanted to say that it wasn't his fault either, but he knew there was truth in Mr. Yagami's accusations.

After L became a part of Light's life, what had happened to the teen? L had hurt him and taken advantage of him when he was drugged. Then Light had forgiven him and learned to trust him, only to have that trust betrayed when he discovered L's lies. Technically, Light still hasn't forgiven him. They had a friendly conversation when Light had been drugged yet again, but that didn't count for much. Light might still be angry at L…and honestly, the teen had several new reasons to hate the detective. Light had been kidnapped, tortured, and those bastards even threatened to rape him on camera. The Yotsuba had hurt Light so much, and it only happened because the Yotsuba wanted to find and kill L. The detective had been the Yotsuba's target, but Light was the one who truly suffered.

Light was suffering because of L. He had been suffering because of L, before the Yotsuba even showed up.

L gazed down at Light, who was still laying in front of him, unconscious. His heart wrenched in his chest as he focused on the bruises on Light's pretty face. L loved him so much, more than anything. But L was not good for him… Mr. Yagami was right.

L seriously met Mr. Yagami's gaze. "If I no longer have contact with Light-kun, will you accept the protection I am offering to your family?"

Yagami Soichiro looked surprised for a moment, then he nodded. "Yes. I'll accept your help as long as you stay away from him."

"We are in agreement then. Tell me if you choose where you would like to relocate your family."

L hurried out the room while fighting the urge to look back at Light one last time. He stumbled down the hallway as he pulled out his cellphone between his thumb and index finger. Dots flashed before his eyes, then he leaned against the wall, woozy from blood loss. He must have donated at least a liter of blood to Light. Half a liter was the standard amount for blood donations, but L had given twice that. Light needed the blood though… L might be slightly anemic for a while, but his red blood cells would replenish themselves.

L held the phone up to his ear as he called the Watari. Soon, he spotted the old man rushing down the hall towards him. Watari helped him to the car, then L collapsed in the back seat. He hadn't eaten in the last six hours, which only made the blood loss worse. L sighed as he gazed out the car window. He could still see the hospital in the distance. Part of L wanted to order Watari to turn the car around and head back. He didn't like leaving without Light, but this was for the best. L reminded himself.

He wasn't good for Light…

###

L couldn't sleep. He couldn't rest. After consuming plenty of sugar, he no longer felt woozy. Watari had tried to convince him to take a nap, but he didn't listen. He had seven high-ranking Yotsuba members locked in cells, waiting for him. L was ready to tear them apart. He decided to start with Namikawa.

L unlocked the criminal's cell and entered the dark room. Namikawa was sitting in a chair with shackles around his hands and feet. In front of him, there was a table and an empty chair. The prisoner's business suit was disheveled and his long black hair hung in his face. As soon as he spotted L, he gasped in shock. He stared at L with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Ryuzaki? You…" He trembled as he declared, "You're L."

L perched on the chair in front of Namikawa. "You wanted to see me."

"But why? Why are you revealing yourself now?"

"It doesn't matter if you see my face, Namikawa. You will be executed in 48 hours and until then, you are not leaving this room."

"Don't I get a trial?"

"No. I have already found you guilty, and I sentence you to death. The judge agrees with me, and soon, you will agree as well."

"What?" He looked confused.

L set a piece of paper on the table along with a pen. "You will sign this, which states that you agree to plead guilty to all of your crimes and accept the death plenty."

Namikawa growled, "I would never accept-"

"I will persuade you." L reached underneath the table and grabbed a locked toolbox.

He set the toolbox on the table and pulled a key out of his pocket. L unlocked the toolbox while the prisoner watched fearfully. Namikawa swallowed as sweat dripped off his brow.

L took out a pair of pliers and gazed at it thoughtfully. "I wonder what tools you used on Light-kun. Pliers, perhaps."

Namikawa struggled against his shackles, wobbling his chair back and forth. "You can't do this! I have rights!"

"I recognize your voice, Namikawa. You are the masked man who spoke to me and gave me an ultimatum." His black eyes shone with anger. "Was it your idea to threaten Light in front of me?"

The criminal panicked. "I-I never touched him! It was all Higuchi! He ripped out Light's nails and hit him! He wanted to rape Light, but I stopped him! If it wasn't for me, Higuchi would've-!"

"You never answered my question, Namikawa." L spoke in a low dangerous tone. "Was it your idea to threaten Light in front of me?"

He quickly shook his head. "No. No, I was just following orders."

L's gaze bore into him. "You're lying."

Suddenly, L reached across the table and snatched the prisoner's left hand. He pinned the hand to the table while gripping an index finger with the pliers. Terrified, Namikawa shot up and tried to yank his hand away, but then L tightened his grip on the pliers, crunching bone. Namikawa screamed in pain while L glared at him.

"Move your hand again and you will lose this finger."

Namikawa shakily sat back down as he took in deep breaths.

"Did you watch when Higuchi was torturing Light?"

Namikawa was white with fear. "N-No."

L knew the criminal was lying again. It infuriated him. L glanced at the legal document on the table as he said, "You are right-handed, correct? You don't need your left hand to sign."

"Please don't!" Namikawa begged.

Bone and flesh tore as Namikawa's screams echoed through the cell.

###

Watari hadn't seen L in the last few hours. He hoped the detective was resting, but he knew that was only wishful thinking. After searching through the live footage of all the surveillance cameras, Watari noticed that the video cameras in the Yotsuba members' cells were turned off. It made him feel uneasy. What was L doing?

Watari took the elevator down to the floor, where the Yotsuba members were kept. As soon as the elevator door opened, he spotted L down the hallway. The detective was walking towards him and all the cell doors were sealed shut. Even though all the prisoners were out of sight, locked in different rooms, Watari knew they were injured or…maybe even dead. There were blood stains on L's white shirt and as he walked, he left a trail of bloody footprints on the floor.

"L, what have you done?" Watari asked in horror.

"All of the Yotsuba members have agreed to the death penalty." L handed him a stack of documents.

Watari studied the signed papers. "So, you haven't killed any of them?"

"No, they are still breathing."

Watari frowned at the detective. "Why are you covered in so much blood?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"No." He sighed. "No, honestly, I'm scared to know the answer."

"Then don't ask." L stepped around him and kept walking. "I am going to take a shower."

Watari scolded him, "L, you didn't have to torture them. I thought you were above that."

L abruptly stopped and turned to face the old man. "They hurt Light-kun."

"Whatever you did to your prisoners is against the law."

"I am the law. You know there will be no repercussions for what I have done to them. Everyone in the justice system will turn a blind eye to it."

"Just because you can get away with it doesn't mean you should do it."

L lowered his gaze and he was silent for a moment like he knew Watari was right. Then he finally glanced up at the old man. His black eyes were filled with anguish.

"They hurt Light-kun, Quillish."

Watari felt a tug at his heart. He had never seen L like this before and he had known the genius since he was a child. At the Wammy House, Watari had watched L excel at many things. But even though L had been the orphanage's greatest success, he wouldn't socialize with the others. He was always by himself. L never truly bonded with anyone until he met Light. Yagami Light was L's first friend, his first love. It must have killed L to see what the Yotsuba had done to the boy.

Watari sighed as he gazed at L with sympathy. "I know… I know you love him. But torturing the Yotsuba won't fix anything. You should be by Light's side."

"No."

He blinked in surprise. "No?"

"I have failed him too many times," L explained sadly. "Light-kun deserves better."

"L, that's not true. You saved him."

"He was kidnapped because of me. I am…not good for Light-kun."

"You should let Light be the judge of that. If he doesn't want you near him, then, yes, you should leave him alone. But I don't think that will be the case. After everything he's been through, I am sure Light will want to see you."

"I already have an agreement with Mr. Yagami-"

"You need to see Light when he wakes up. At least for closure." Watari insisted, "You have to see him."

L walked away. "I will consider it."

###

Inside the cell, Light was lying in a pool of blood. He had been shot in the leg and Higuchi was heading towards him. Light tried to crawl away, but Higuchi straddled him and snatched both his wrists pinning him to the ground. Light frantically struggled underneath man, desperate to break free.

"You belong to me now. L's dead." Higuchi leaned closer to him and hissed, "Nobody's coming for you, Light."

Panic and fear surged through Light as he continued to fight against the man's grip.

Higuchi smirked. "Just lie back and enjoy it."

Light jolted awake with a scream. He sat up, thrashing his arms until someone grabbed onto him. Light was pushed back onto a bed. He struggled against the hands as he panicked, his heart racing. He heard a familiar voice. Then Light recognized his father's face.

Mr. Yagami was holding him down while pleading, "Light, calm down. Please calm down. It's okay. You're safe. You're in a hospital."

Light's eyes darted around the room, scanning his surroundings. This was a hospital room. There was an IV bag hanging by his bed and behind his father, there was a doctor wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Light glanced around the room again. Where is L? Why isn't he here?

Higuchi's voice echoed in his mind. "L's dead."

Light tightly grabbed his father's arm as he demanded, "Where's L?"

His father gave him a strange look.

He shouted, "Where's L?!"

"Calm down." Mr. Yagami eased his arm out of Light's grip. "He's still working on the case."

Light instantly remembered L's plan. The Yotsuba believed that someone else was L. When Higuchi had been bragging about L's death, he was referring to Tailor, the fake L. Light relaxed slightly. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. More memories came to the surface. Light recalled shooting Higuchi in the head. There had been blood everywhere. Light cringed as he remembered seeing Higuchi's brain matter splatter onto the floor. He could feel his heart rate speed up again. Why wasn't L here?

The doctor stepped toward him and introduced himself, "Hello, Light. I'm Dr. Koyama. You've been unconscious for the last 18 hours. What is the last thing you remember?"

Light recalled the sound of a bullet cracking though Higuchi's skull. His breath caught in his throat as he trembled anxiously. Mr. Yagami gave the doctor an annoyed look.

Dr. Koyama smiled apologetically. "Sorry. If you aren't ready to talk about it, that's fine. How are you feeling right now?"

Light glanced at the IV in his left arm. The IV tubing was connected to a bag of normal saline and a small bag of morphine. "I'm not in pain."

"That's good." The doctor grinned and prattled on for a while. He told Light about the surgery to remove the bullet from his leg. Then he explained how Light's injuries would all heal on their own. The doctor kept saying things that didn't hold Light's interest. One question was still plaguing his mind. Why wasn't L here?

While the doctor was still explaining something, Light interrupted him. "Did I have any other visitors?"

"What?"

"Besides my dad. Did anyone else come here?"

"Well, your friend Ryuzaki was here." Dr. Koyama smiled. "He saved your life by donating blood."

What? Light blinked in surprise. "Ryuzaki gave me blood?"

"Yeah, the paramedics told me-"

Mr. Yagami cut him off. "Dr. Koyama, can I speak to Light alone for a minute?"

"Oh, sure." The doctor bowed before walking away. "Take all the time you need."

After the doctor left, Light's father sat on a chair next to the hospital bed. He let out a long sigh before finally meeting Light's gaze.

"I have been working on the Yotsuba case with L. I know everything that's been going on. I know that Ryuzaki is L and that you two…" Mr. Yagami paused uncomfortably.

Fuck. This was the last thing Light wanted to deal with right now. He looked down at his lap, avoiding his father's stare.

"It doesn't matter what you did with L because you aren't seeing him anymore." His father claimed, "Once you're better, you are coming home. We may have to move to a different country. I haven't decided yet, and your mom and Sayu still don't know anything… But the whole family will get somewhere safe. Then you can go back to college and everything will be okay."

A realization struck Light as he muttered, "You want to pretend none of this happened."

His father looked frustrated. "Don't you?"

Light gazed down at his bandaged left hand. He felt bile at the back of his throat as memories flashed through his mind. He remembered screaming every time Higuchi ripped out another fingernail. He could hear his heart pounding in his head and he felt sick to his stomach. Maybe his father could pretend the kidnapping didn't happen. But Light couldn't… The pain and terror was still fresh in his mind. It was taking all of his willpower to look composed in front of his father.

"I just…" Mr. Yagami sighed. "I don't want this to change things. I want you to have a happy normal life. I want you to go to college, and get a good job, then you can get married and start a family. That's all I've ever wanted for you. Just a happy normal-"

Light's self-control snapped as he shouted, "Quit saying that! There's nothing fucking normal about my life!"

His father looked surprised by the outburst. "Maybe we should talk about this later."

Light leaned over, resting his face in his hands. He wished his father would just go away. Usually, Light could play the role of the perfect son quite well, but not right now. He didn't have the patience for it.

"Light, are you okay?"

No, I'm not fucking okay. He raised his head and gave his father an irritated look. "How long have you been away from home?"

"A couple days. Why?"

"You should go home. Mom and Sayu are probably worried."

"Do you want me to tell them…?"

"No," Light quickly decided. "They still think I'm at Wammy University, right?"

"Yes. So far, we've managed to keep your name out of the media."

"Good. I don't want to tell Mom or Sayu unless we have to."

"Okay." His father looked relieved. Clearly, he didn't want them to know either.

Mr. Yagami stood and patted Light on the shoulder. "Try to get some rest, son. I'll visit tomorrow."

Light simply nodded, then his father left the room.

###

For a few hours, Light laid on the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was dark outside and only a few lights were turned on in his room. Dr. Koyama had visited him again and asked if Light wanted to see a therapist. Light had adamantly refused. Then the doctor tried to change his mind for a while. Dr. Koyama knew Light had been beaten and tortured. All of his injuries made that quite obvious. After Light refused to see a therapist for the twentieth time, the doctor finally gave up and left.

Dr. Koyama had gotten on his nerves. Light didn't need therapy. He would be fine once all of his injuries healed.

Light shut his eyes, trying to fall asleep. Suddenly, he recalled laying on the floor in his cell and his heart rate spiked again. He opened his eyes and glanced around the hospital room, reminding himself where he was. What the fuck is wrong with me? Light took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. He was so exhausted. After a few minutes, he drifted to sleep.

Light was in the cell again, tied to a chair. He was screaming as Higuchi ripped out his fingernails one by one with a pair of pliers. Namikawa was standing a few feet away, watching. He kept asking the same questions over and over. What did L look like? Where was L? What was L's name? Light remained silent, except for the times he screamed in pain.

Once all the nails were gone, Namikawa walked toward Light and grabbed his chin. "You are very loyal to L, aren't you? You won't betray him. You love him…" He rubbed a thumb across Light's bottom lip. "Does L love you? Why isn't he here?"

Light stared at him with wide horrified eyes. "W-What?"

"Where is L? Why isn't he here?" Namikawa taunted him. "Why did he leave you?"

Light jerked awake with a gasp. His heart was racing and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably. He could feel someone's hand touching his arm.

"Light-kun."

He glanced to the side and saw L standing by his hospital bed. The detective had a sad expression on his face as he gazed down at him.

"L?" Light muttered while L removed his hand.

"I'm sorry." L took a step back, away from the hospital bed. "The last time we spoke Light-kun was not in his right mind, and the time before that, Light-kun told me to stay away…" He averted his gaze, looking down at the floor. "I will keep my distance. I know Light-kun hasn't forgiven me."

Light's heart wrenched in his chest. He had almost forgotten. He had been on his way to forgive L when the Yotsuba had taken him.

"I have offered protection for your family and your father has agreed to my help on the condition that I cease all contact with you."

Light froze in shock. His father never mentioned that deal! Anger surged though Light as he clenched his right hand into a fist. His father had no right to-!

"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from the Yotsuba. I only came here to say that. You don't have to see me again, Light-kun." L took another step away from the bed.

Light quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Stay."

L stared back at him with a surprised look on his face.

Tears sprang to his eyes as Light pleaded, "I forgive you. Please don't go."

L immediately stepped toward him and wrapped his arms around the teen. Light clutched onto his back as he leaned into L's chest. He was shaking now. He couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face.

"Don't go," he sobbed.

L held him tightly.

A/N: Awww. Finally. LOL

Next time… L vs Mr. Yagami

Reviews are love XD