This chapter is dedicated to Virtual ST (whom I shall forever call my SanTahaki). Without her, this chapter may have taken a whole lot longer to put up. Also, for all of you who keep sending me encouraging reviews, a giant thank you. –bows- It's for you guys that I keep writing this.
October 1, 2004
The clicking of fingers on keys echoed through the room accompanied by the slight squeak of L's swivel chair. Spinning around until the chain that kept him attached to Light was taut, L would then start spinning in the other direction unwinding the restriction. Light barely spared him a glance these days when he would entertain himself. Suddenly, the tapping of fingers increased and Light gave a gentle tug to his handcuff.
"Ryuzaki. I know you're not into this, but come over here for a second."
"Hmm?" Scooting his chair closer to the young Asian, L boredly leaned over the boy's shoulder to look at the screen.
"Take a look at this. Look at the change here, and look at this sudden growth."
Dark eyes scanned over the information scrolling across the screen. The more he read, the wider his grin began to spread. He could feel Light beaming next to him in triumph. "Y…yagami-kun…"
"How about now?" Light chuckled, looking every bit the excited teenager that he was. "Ready to get to work?"
Leaning forward more, L found himself casually settling a hand on the boy's right shoulder even as his other hand made its way to his lips. His pointer finger stroked his lower lips as he gently rubbed Light's tired shoulder.
"If this is connected to Kira, then punishing criminals may not be the true goal of this Kira."
Nodding, Light examined the older man's face. It looked like L might finally rejoin the investigation. "Yeah, it's possible that punishing criminals is camouflage while he kills for monetary reasons."
"Yagami-kun, you once said that if an adult had this power, he would use it for his own benefit or to make money. This would fit that. Though…since Kira and the second Kira existed at the same time, this could be an entirely new Kira from the one who was killing criminals." Sliding his hand to Light's left shoulder as Matsuda walked over, L gave him an encouraging pat. "Very impressive research, Yagami-kun."
"Thanks."
"I helped a lot with this too, Ryuzaki," Matsuda butted in.
Light continued as if the young police officer didn't even exist. "It's all thanks to this new system that allows us to access police, public, and media data from all over the world. At first, I didn't know what to look for, but I started over with the idea that Kira was in Japan and searched based on that." He didn't even need a breath to continue. "It's a fact that a majority of those killed are in Japan and when you compare the deaths with media coverage, it's clear that Kira gets his information from these local Japanese sources. Since Kira kills with heart attacks, I thought there may be some victims that we haven't been able to pin on him yet. So, I searched for all the people who died of heart attacks up to now including non-criminals. That would usually be an incredible amount of work, but this system made it relatively fast."
"I helped a lot on this, Ryuzaki," Matsuda interrupted again, clearly expecting some praise.
Again acting like Matsuda was nothing more than office decoration, Light pressed on. "I planned to carefully examine every heart attack victim over the last five months, but I quickly noticed three suspicious cases. Two could be coincidence, but not three. All three of these victims were in important positions in the Japanese business world, and all died of heart attacks. So I researched the three companies, Sekimaru, Aoi, and Yotsuba. Yotsuba's stock has been rising steadily while Sekimaru and Aoi's have plummeted."
"So then you did further research into other deaths involving people in the business world?" L guessed, his finger still tracing his lips slowly.
"Yeah, and look. Thirteen deaths were beneficial to Yotsuba in only three months. From the other company's point of view, only two or three were beneficial. Besides those earlier three, the rest died in accidents or by disease, one committed suicide and two were killed this week by Kira after being indicted for corruption."
"These three months are after you were put in confinement and the killings stopped and then resumed…that intrigues me…"
"That's true," Light sighed. "What do you think? I have to conclude that Kira is supporting Yotsuba."
L looked meaningfully at the younger detective. "But, if that's the case…"
"Yeah."
"Kira can kill in ways other than heart attacks!" the both exclaimed at the same time.
Matsuda looked impressed. "Wow, you guys were in synch."
L looked back at the officer with a twitch in his eye. "That was all that you got out of Yagami-kun's lengthy dialogue? That's what you were impressed by?"
Matsuda just laughed nervously and waved his hands in front of himself frantically. "N-no, I just mean that it's great that you guys haven't been fighting lately."
"I might have to kick you," L deadpanned.
"Uh, I'll go tell the others." With that, Matsuda was gone, leaving the two young men alone for a few more minutes.
Smiling childishly, L squeezed Light's shoulder comfortingly again. "Good work. I think that it's time that I step back into this case."
"It's good to have you back," Light replied, settling his hand comfortably on L's.
October 2, 2004
"Are you okay?" Light questioned as he pressed kisses along L's neck.
L just stared at the ceiling, content for the moment to have attention lavished upon him. It was true that he was a little less talkative than usual, but for Light to have picked up on his somber mood so quickly was impressive. Stroking his fingers through the auburn hair he sighed softly. "I'm fine, Light-kun."
"About, Aizawa, I mean. I know that you liked him."
Another impressive deduction. Even though he had admitted his like for the police officer before the afroed man stormed out earlier that day, the others probably weren't sure if he was being honest or just trying to keep a member of the taskforce onboard. "I have no use for someone who isn't in here wholeheartedly."
Leaning up, Light planted a few kisses onto his lips. "Come on; don't tell me that you don't understand his position. He had children years before this case came up. You can't expect him to shirk his prior commitments to his family just because there's some crazy mass murderer out there."
"It's not too much to ask someone to focus on catching the aforementioned criminal so that his children could grow up in a safer world."
"When you have kids of your own, you'll understand," Light sighed. "It's only natural to want to be around your loved ones, to protect and cherish them."
L snickered, rolling to his side and taking the Asian down beside him. "You speak as if you have your own children. Is there something that you'd like to admit now before I engage in coitus with you?"
Light's true laughter was a rare jewel, one that only L was allowed to see. Well, Watari would see it too, but the teen didn't have to know that. Or the fact that all of their naughty activities were being monitored by a 71-year-old man. "No, I don't have any children out there."
"Good."
Rolling over to be on top of the younger of the two, L reached under the blankets and began to finger Light dry. The boy's face twisted up in effort as he tried not to cry out in pleasure. They had both found out quite early on how much he liked having a little pain mixed with the pleasure as well as how vocal he could actually get in bed. Mogi had been concerned that they were beating the crap out of each other. Teasing at the twitching muscles, L began to thrust his tongue into the boy's navel as a foreshadow of things to come. Light groaned in satisfaction and brought his hands to clench the soft dark hair, pushing L deeper against his abdomen.
"H-how about you?" Light managed between gasps.
"Hmm?"
"Children. Do you h-have any?"
Nibbling on the soft flesh around the indentation, L lifted his eyes up to take in the lust-filled look of his captive. "Actually, I do."
"What?" Light shrieked, jumping into a seated position. His face had a decidedly disturbed look plastered all over it. "Who…you?"
L rolled his eyes. "Really, Light-kun, do you think that you're the only one eager to jump into my pants?"
The look Light shot him was a definite YES. "How many?" he asked weakly.
Looking up in thought, L brought his thumb to his lips. "At the moment? About 26."
Light just stared at him. "Ah ha ha. Jerk."
Shrugging, L decided that he didn't need to push things any further. If Light felt that he was lying, then there was no need to correct him. After all, no one in the task force knew anything about Wammy's House or his successors, and that was the best. Should Kira learn of them…well, L just shuddered to think about it. There was no need for his children to be put in danger yet. Only should he die would any of them have to face the horrors of this case.
"Shall we continue?"
"I have half a mind not to," Light mumbled.
L just shook his head. "But you lower half is in control isn't it?"
"Shut up."
The childish grin was back with a vengeance. "Is that the best comeback Light-kun can up with? My skills between the sheets must have improved exponentially for such a splendid result."
"Um, L, my being speechless has nothing to do with your sex skills. It's actually caused by the profusion of stupid things that seem to flow from your mouth. Actually, I think that's impossible for anyone else in this world to be that ridiculous."
L considered the words for a few seconds. "Light-kun, I believe that your logic is faulty-"
"Not this again," Light groaned, rolling his eyes and tossing his slightly mussed hair. "Can we skip the diatribe and get to the sex?"
'My, my, my, what a different Light-kun this is. It wasn't all that long ago that he was embarrassed of saying "ass", and now he's more than eager to proposition me.' Deciding that he didn't want to spend any energy on trying to dissect Light's motives at the moment, L began rubbing circles on the younger man's thighs. "I shall acquiesce to your request this time," he muttered before leaning in for a quick kiss. "So long as you refrain from asking ludicrous questions in the middle of the act."
"L, asking if you remembered to lock the door is not a ludicrous question."
"No, but asking if I have children or spouses is."
"Fine, I won't ask about your spouses."
"Thank you for being so considerate."
Before Light could come up with a sharp comeback, L tackled him to the bed and proceeded to reveal how eager his flesh still was.
October 7, 2004
"I'm Aiber, professional con artist. Nice to meet you."
"Wedy, I'm a thief."
The remaining taskforce stared at the two newcomers with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Soichiro actually broke a sweat. "A con man…and a thief?"
"Yes," L replied nonchalantly. His choice of support was no doubt unusual and probably unethical to some, but he needed people that he trusted. Of course, in order to add a level of protection around them and himself, he lied about never seeing them face to face before. If they had never seen his face before, then Kira would have no reason to use them against him yet.
As L explained a little more about the additions to their team, Light couldn't help but wonder how L had managed to bribe the two criminals to join in such a dangerous case. Since they were seasoned criminals, they had no reason to help the detective out, so the only conclusion would be that they were being bribed. Looking towards his father, the teenager could see the reluctance. It was these kinds of people that his father had spent years trying to catch and hold accountable, and now L was asking him to work alongside them as if it were natural. The others seemed to share the same opinion. Even Aiber and Wedy didn't seem all that please to be in the presence of so many ex-police officers.
Examining the older detective's face, Light knew that he would support L's choice. However unorthodox the situation was, that didn't diminish the fact that they needed this help. Kira needed to be brought down, and with so many legal resources being kept away from them, turning to criminals was the only choice at the moment. It wasn't ideal, but it was a necessary evil.
"I see. These kinds of people will be helpful in investigating Yotsuba," he stated confidently. "Let's all work together and solve this case."
It was like magic. Without having to say anything else, L watched as the task force members welcomed his con man and thief. All it took was a few words from Light, and everyone relaxed; it was almost as if he was a god speaking to his followers and they would blindly and happily obey. Interesting. Light turned a little and shot him a supportive smile as if to say "See? I did that for you."
/_/_/_/
"Mello, can I ask you a question?"
Looking up at the smoking brunette, Mello snorted in amusement. "No, Matt, you can't. We're just best friends, don't feel like you can talk freely."
Matt continued as if he didn't notice the snideness. "Do you have hair down there?" he asked, glassy eyes staring at the orchards behind Wammy's House.
"Down…there?" the blond chuckled. "No, I don't have pubic hair. That's gross. Why? Are you getting some?"
"No!" he replied a little too quickly before catching himself. "I was just wondering."
"Okay." Letting his tongue drag slowly across a bar of chocolate, Mello scooted closer to his friend. "Wanna lick?" he asked softly.
"N—yes." Matt dropped the cancer stick and carefully reached forward to cup the back of Mello's neck.
Even with those blue eyes shielded behind plastic, the older boy nearly melted under the smoldering gaze directed at him. With his stomach proceeding to tie itself into knots, Mello lifted up the bar of chocolate and placed it directly between their lips. Swallowing thickly, he took the first lick; after all, wasn't he the chocolate lover?
Barely able to remember to breathe, Matt took a quick, tentative lick. Mello took another long lick and the brunette nearly whimpered. He wanted to taste Mello, needed to. Taking another lick, Matt timed it so that their tongues would meet at the top.
And touch their tongues did.
The bar of chocolate lay forgotten on the blonde's lap as the two boys deepened their kiss. Mello whimpered happily as Matt stroked his hair with his calloused gamer hands, and Matt felt his face deepen in color as the kiss got more heated. How could anyone be such a good kisser at such a young age, Matt wondered. It was like kissing an angel except that he didn't have to worry about being struck by lightning. Smooth, sun-kissed hands gently stroked the raised scars on Matt's hands, causing the younger boy to tremble excitedly. The taut flesh of his scars had always been sensitive, even more so now because of the fact that he never let them be seen or touched by anyone else.
Already panting heavily, Mello felt the now-familiar urge to pull Matt's pants off and go down on him, but fear of being scolded again and making Matt mad forced him to rein his desires. No matter how wonderful it felt to be held in his best friend's arms and kissing like there was no tomorrow, Mello couldn't move forward until he understood what Matt wanted. It had always been the brunette who pulled away first, who would put up a wall, who would keep them apart. It was confusing and it hurt him.
This would have been a lot simpler, in Mello's opinion, if Matt liked him the same way that he liked Matt.
October 8, 2004
"Stupid Matsuda."
"Are you still going on about that, Ryuzaki?" Light brushed his sweaty bangs back as he stared at L's tattooed back. It was a marvelous piece of work, but he had never asked if there was some kind of significance to it. L never showed it off much, and being the one to bottom in this relationship didn't exactly offer him ample time or opportunity to study it.
"Light-kun, I don't play the part of an actor, much less an ambulance worker in a ridiculous get-up which includes extremely uncomfortable boots."
"You're just pouting because you actually had to wear socks."
"Of course. The fact that Matsuda nearly blew our entire investigation and then nearly got murdered has nothing to do with my pouting." Straightening his back out, several bones in popped loudly before he resumed his more comfortable slouch.
Sitting up to join his lover, Light looked over at the older man's face. It was set in an irritated frown with a slight glare that promised a lot of extra menial tasks for poor Matsuda. "At least he got some great information out of it."
"Yay."
Wrapping his arm around L's bare neck, Light pulled him into a hesitant kiss. However, what little resistance was put up at the beginning was quickly forgotten. A warm feeling swelled in the young man's chest as L nipped at his lips and stroked the insides of his cheeks just the way he liked it with an unbelievably agile tongue. This feeling had become more and more noticeable since he had that ridiculous fist-fight with the detective, and as much as it frightened him, it comforted him. Kira could not feel this way towards someone else, it was impossible. Kira could not know friendship, could not understand love. Hissing softly as those sugar-glazed fingers brushed against his already sensitive and bruised nipples, Light allowed the feelings to swallow his senses. He didn't need to think or calculate in bed with this man; he didn't need to lie or paste on a façade. It was real to him, the most real thing in his entire life.
Cracking his eyes open, L stared at the smooth features of Light's face. There was no such a thing as an imperfection, even from such a close distance. Well, there was a slight bruise on his cheek-bone from last night's passionate sex when the not-so-smart Asian bowed his face in pleasure and became intimate with the solid oak headboard, but that didn't really count as an imperfection. Sliding his gaze towards the windowsill where one of the thirteen cameras was hidden, L had to wonder if Watari understood now.
"Do you see what I'm doing? Do you understand?"
/_/_/_/
Quillsh watched the surveillance footage with tired, bloodshot eyes. He could see L looking at him, questioning. Did he understand what L was doing? Yes. Did he agree? He bloody hell did not. Running his arthritic hands through his well-kept but thinning hair, the elderly gentleman couldn't help but think of how much the young detective looked like his mother. Katrina, dearest Katrina. Not that he was trying to compare sex skills and mannerisms between L and his mother, but Quillsh had to admit that they were similar. Although the boy hadn't been gifted with the natural grace and fluidity of movement that Katrina had, his strength, resilience, and intuition for what would make his partner reel in pleasure were nearly identical.
"It is like you had a clone of yourself in a male body," he murmured to himself. "Where are my genes in there? He could have at least had some natural propriety. Well, at least he can't get pregnant, and neither can that…boy."
The fact that L was sleeping with someone seven years his junior bothered the older man, but he had to remember that there had been quite an age difference between himself and Katrina. But…why did he keep finding himself thinking about the two of them in terms of "lovers", "partners", and "together"? There might be some physical attraction at play, but L was engaging in sexual intercourse strictly to break into Light's mind. It was a dirty trick, one no doubt suggested by his mother's reputation.
"It's Yagami-kun's fault," he found himself realizing. Looking more closely at L's hollow expression, Quillsh felt concern suffocating him. There was no sense of deception about the boy, no slip of a tongue or slip of a carefully placed mask. His cries of passion, his kisses, his affectionate touches and glances were startlingly pure, something that L could not compete with. "The boy is either playing a very clever game, or he is tearing L apart completely unconsciously."
And as much as he wanted to say that it was all a ruse, a well-conceived trick to get L's real name, there was no basis for it. This relationship wasn't going to last much longer; something was going to give.
October 13, 2004
Waking up to the coldness of the large empty bed, Light groaned softly as he tried to kick-start his brain into something functioning. L was seated on his customary chair, naked except for a pair of unusually plain boxers. They were such a pale blue it was almost white; in fact, it probably had been white before being washed along with a pair of those baggy jeans.
"Morning," he yawned, groaning in pain as blood rushed to his sleeping arm. The darn chain had cut off his blood supply again. The heavy feeling limb was soon itching with the sharp needle pokes of nerves reviving.
L blinked slowly before turned his attention to Light. "Good morning, Light-kun. You're up early. Was I keeping you awake?"
Raising his eyebrow, Light noted that the clock read 2:57. "No, you didn't do anything. I guess my arm's lack of blood woke me up."
"I won't take off the chain, you know."
"I know that," Light snapped, inexplicably irritated. Why did L do that? Still acting like he was going to run off and commit mass murder if he wasn't chained down. Even if the chain was removed, Light was sure that he would stay close to L's side. He was there because he wanted to be. Damn it, he was making love with this childish, stupid, ridiculous, heartless detective! Why couldn't L at least pretend like he wasn't trying to get Light the death penalty? "I wasn't going to ask you to do that. I was simply stating a fact."
L noticed the anger rising in the boy and he felt a wave of weariness. He had managed to wound Light's pride only seconds of his waking up. It was almost a record time. "I was merely stating a fact as well, Light-kun. It was you who jumped to the conclusion that I was insinuating that you were going to lead up to asking me to remove the chain."
"Well, it was an ill-timed statement of fact," Light growled. He wasn't going to take the bait and engage in a debate in why he was Kira and guilty of murdering thousands of people.
"Forgive me."
"I have half a mind not to," the Asian muttered. L shrugged, not looking the slightest bit bothered. Sighing, Light leaned back against his pillow and stared at the empty spot next to him. L would never sleep the whole night in bed with him and most of the time he would crawl to his perch on the overly stuffed armchair as soon as they were finished with their showers. "I'll…I'll forgive you if he crawl in here with me."
L tilted his head in surprise. Light was giving him an extremely childish proposition. The fact that there was a burning red blush on the Asian boy's cheeks informed L that Light knew how juvenile he sounded. However, his caramel eyes remained firm and his lips were set in a determined line. He wasn't going to back down. Even more surprising was that L didn't feel like refusing the request. It had been years since he had been forced to sleep next to anyone (and that time ended in him getting peed on). At least he could be comforted in the fact that Light was not a bed-wetter.
Without saying a word, he slid off of his comfortable seat and slipped under the covers next to the brunette. It was uncomfortably warm and the heavy blankets gave a sense of smothering, but he forced himself to get settled in. It would only be a few more hours before they would return to work.
"You're forgiven," Light mumbled, his shapely arms wrapping around L's waist as he drew their bodies together.
"I can live the rest of my life in peace, comforted by the fact that Light-kun has forgiven me."
"Don't ruin this."
"Very well."
Light pressed his ear against L's thin but firm chest and listened for the beating of a heart. Sure enough, in only moments he could hear the soft yet consistent pumping. Looking up into the ghost-like face of his lover, Light decided to ask the question that had been nagging him for a while. "Ryuzaki, why do you have a tattoo of a shinigami on your back?"
Blinking slowly, L allowed all kinds of reasons and excuses flash across his mental plane. Should he be honest? Would that be giving Kira a peek into his mind, his past? Is it possible that this was nothing more than an honest question? Chuckling humorlessly, L relived the moments of seeing Beyond for the last time. "Let's save that for another time, Light-kun."
A shudder raced down the Asian's back as he noticed the pained expression behind L's smile. So, even the great detective L could feel pain.
"L?"
"Let's get some rest. There is more preparation to be done before the Yotsuba group holds their meeting on Friday."
October 27, 2004
Shuffling through a deck of cards, Near watched the children interacting in front of him. The recent increase in schoolwork was stressing everyone out, especially Mello. He had caught the blond on numerous occasions, studying relentlessly on the library computer with thick books stacked all around him. Glancing over at the unhealthily thin teen, the white-haired boy found himself wondering how all of them had managed to grow up so quickly. When did Mello's features turn from inviting curves to intimidating angles? When did Matt's chin first start to show signs of stubble? When did Linda first realize that her growing bosom was an asset to get affection from the opposite sex?
But most importantly, why was he the only one who hadn't changed?
Looking down at his hands, Near was disturbed to see the small, delicate, and child-like fingers protruding from the soft lump of a palm. He was still more fat than toned muscles, he had no facial hair, and not even a trace of pubic hair. For crying out loud, he didn't even have armpit hair to speak of. It was as if time forgot that he even existed. Looking at the other thirteen-year-olds, he couldn't help but notice the differences.
It's not that he didn't understand that different people reached went through puberty differently; just looking at Mello and Matt would quell such thinking. Thirteen-year-old boys didn't necessarily have pubic hair, and most facial hair didn't come until the later stages of puberty. However, not many teenage boys still looked like a seven-year-old. He hadn't even grown an inch since moving to Wammy's House. And it wasn't like he didn't eat a nutritious meal three times a day and drink plenty of fluids.
Looking back up at Matt, Near felt a twinge of jealousy. He was not only the only person in the House who didn't bother studying or stressing about the extra work, but he was also becoming disturbingly popular with both sexes. Girls were starting to notice how tall he was getting, and they were often heard talking about his "sexy, long legs". Although he wasn't dressing to impress anything other than his Gameboy, it was impossible to deny that he was filling out his thin jeans nicely. Disturbingly, Near had even heard girls talking about "Matt's cute butt". Even his deepening voice was noticed and discussed. Now, Matt's popularity with the boys rarely came in the form of compliments on the shape of his rear end or how "manly" his voice was; instead, the brunette had become an object of disdain and almost hatred. Near was not the only one to succumb to feelings of jealousy.
Most importantly, the general dislike and animosity towards the fourteen-year-old Pokémon addict revolved around the fact that he had Mello wrapped around his finger. If there was one person at Wammy's House worshipped to an L-like degree, it was Mello. He wasn't a typical "bad boy" that was prevalently admired by tweens and adults alike. He wasn't even the "nice guy" that girls wanted to marry and boys wanted to beat up.
As per usual, Mello defined normal labels and still gained the admiration and respect of everyone in the institution. His voice hadn't deepened and he didn't have any bodily hair growth, but all of that only added to his strikingly European beauty. He was lean, sharp-featured, with the most unusual eye colors. Yes, Mello's eyes had colors. It could never be pinned down to a specific blue or green and was the discussion of many a student and instructor. However, unlike the appreciation given to Matt for his physical features, the respect that Mello received went much deeper. This year marked the seventh year that Mello had managed to keep hold of his title as the Fastest Runner in the House, and he was the unquestionable Champion of Football. He also had years of being ranked number one under his belt, and years of being ranked number two as well. No one could beat him at socializing and befriending others and yet at the same time hold such a frightening and unapproachable reputation. Mello was dynamic, always changing his mind and yet he was consistent in being the best.
The best at everything save one thing. Near smiled softly as he had his Ken doll murdering his Misa-Misa doll in a rage of passion. Misa-Misa had been cheating on Ken, obviously. The only thing that Near could claim as an advantage, and the sole reason that anyone paid any attention to him was that he could consistently beat Mello intellectually. People didn't hate him for beating Mello because that always promised to provide the residents with drama, with their own personal soap opera, but Matt didn't have that advantage. Many of the students didn't appreciate the fact that Matt was the only known person to have ever made Mello cry or that Mello had chosen Matt as his confidant over everyone else.
It was as if everyone believed that they had a claim on Mello. Near was no exception. Mello was his and he didn't take kindly to anyone else who disregarded the rules and tried to be more to the blond. It was a strange dynamic, and one that Near found most interesting. It was an unwritten rule that no one cut throats over Mello's attention because that privilege belonged to L alone. The race to become the next L was a vicious and brutal competition that had broken many children, but that wasn't allowed with Mello.
"Yet," he whispered to Ken as his small fingers orchestrated Misa-Misa's burial under inconspicuous seat cushions.
Looking back up at the destructive duo, Near struggled to keep his expression stoic. Matt was grinning stupidly and smearing chocolate frosting across Mello's cheeks and lips. The blond had an expression of irritation and his lips were curled into a scowl, but the emotion in his eyes was anything but hostile. Sharp white teeth snapped and caught Matt's gloved finger in a threatening manner, but Matt just laughed and lightheartedly begged Mello to have mercy and leave his finger attached to his hand. Mello "punished" him by forcing the brunette to lick the chocolate off of his cheek.
A few girls giggled softly as they looked up from their study notes. "That's so hot," Ariel stated, not seeming to care that Near was close enough to overhear everything.
"I could totally touch myself to that," Valencia added. Near almost gagged at the image that flashed across his mind.
"Do you think that they would make-out if I dared them?"
Staring unamusedly at the two boys being talked about, Near wondered if the girls would even need to do such a thing. Matt and Mello already looked like they were going to throw away inhibitions and put on a show of fornication in front of all the children. But Mello, through a surprising display of self-control, resisted the temptation and instead released the offending finger before hitting Matt over the head with a rather thick criminal law book.
Rolling his eyes, the pale boy turned his attention back to his playthings. A stuffed lobster with protruding glass eyes had taken Ken into custody and was now waiting on a report from the fat panda before taking the investigation any further. However, he couldn't help but think that if Mello got sent off before Matt was old enough to leave, the unfortunate brunette would be beat within an inch of his life. Or…something interesting might happen. Fear of Mello being disappointed in them might hold the jealous students back.
Regardless, it was none of his concern. All that mattered was that he kept a step ahead of Mello. Just like Mello was his, he was Mello's. Neither of them could breathe, sleep, or even eat without thinking of the other. They were on each other's mind more than L was. In fact, it was like the race to become the next L had nothing to do with the detective at all. It was a personal battle now, a private war between the two of them. Allowing a smile to form on the face of his inner mind, Near was content with how things were for now.
He may be bitter, petty, and jealous, but he had a relationship with Mello that no one came close to. Not even L.
October 27, 2004
"Tomorrow we catch Kira." Rubbing the worn skin of his wrist, Light looked over at L in excitement. Once this Kira was caught, they could finally progress further in this case and prove his innocence!
Sitting on the edge of the bed in thoughtful contemplation, it almost seemed like L hadn't heard what he said. Before Light could repeat his statement, the dark owl-like eyes looked up and a neutral expression appeared on his face. "Yes, if everything goes according to plan."
"Come on, don't be negative now. You should be excited!" Falling on his back, Light allowed the cool sheets to comfort his heated skin. There had been so much work to do to prepare for the trap tomorrow, and now they would get a few hours of rest before the action would start all over again.
"Shall we skip on the sex and just sleep?"
Wrinkling his brow in confusion and worry, Light leaned on his elbow and tried to read L's expression more carefully. "Ryuzaki? What's wrong?"
What expression had been on his face was immediately wiped away and L looked back at the young Asian. "Nothing Light-kun. I was merely concerned for your health. I've kept you up late recently."
Feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest, Light forced a smile and slipped his hand into the detective's. L adjusted the grip so that only the tips of his fingers would hold the warm hand. "Let's have a nice and slow round, okay? That way it won't exert either of us too much. Do you think you can handle it?"
"I'm not old enough to worry about not being able to 'handle it' Light-kun."
"Just checking."
It was painful, L decided as he and Light performed their nightly ritual. Taking things so slowly, becoming hyper-aware of every little feeling, of that arched back, and clenched eyes. His nails dug into the boy's soft hips, and his own eyes clenched shut as he tried to block those images from his mind. Wrong, what he was doing was wrong. Engaging in such a tricky relationship with Light had done nothing to move the case forward. In fact, it had done nothing at all but add another searing scar across his emotional landscape. A feeling mostly unknown to him had reared its ugly head.
Guilt.
Each open and honest cry of pleasure was a stab. It was almost amusing how ironic the situation seemed. Instead of Light being the one to lie and scheme, it was now L. But he couldn't fold, couldn't show a moment of weakness. Light was Kira! This boy who submitted himself to such carnal intimacies was responsible for the deaths of thousands.
The proof! Where was the proof? Why hadn't he been able to find anything incriminating yet? How had the suspect managed to keep such an important piece of the puzzle hidden? When did L become the criminal? No, there was no crime being committed. There was only a gamble being taken.
"L!" Light wailed, his muscles trembling from the orgasm. "Oooh, L…"
Grabbing a tissue, L pulled his engorged flesh out of the quivering body and stroked himself to completion. Biting his lip, he quenched the desperate desire to reveal his own pleasure with an uninhibited cry.
Looking up at the impeccably clean ceiling, Light forced himself not to submit to the wave of emotions threatening to send him into a wreck. He would not be stupid and dwell on the reasons for L's strange behavior. The detective had always been bizarre and it was foolish to think that the behavior wouldn't carry over into his sex life. Maybe he was just tired, and eager to move past this case. But did that mean…
What would happen to this relationship when everything was over? When Kira was caught, would this contentment end and remain forgotten in the back of their memories?
Dropping the crumpled tissue, L stared as his untouched box of truffles. Even the idea of eating sugar couldn't comfort him at the moment. What would happen tomorrow? Would Kira truly be caught? And what would happen to this lie of a relationship? Would he throw away Light like he threw emotions away?
One time. He could indulge himself one time. Slowly leaning over the heaving body, L pressed his lips against the panting mouth. For once, he could pretend that it was real, that he actually knew what being in love felt like. He could push away the calculations and the analysis. It was impossible to open up, but L could pretend that he had nothing to hide and that his motives were just at pure at Light's seemingly were.
L could let go just once.
October 28, 2004
"Ahhhhh!"
Turning his head in shock at the outcry, L was concerned to see Light's reaction to touching the notebook. More than terror was etched into his features as his entire body stiffened up. "Are you okay?" he asked as Light slumped forward. "Anyone would be surprised by a monster like that…"
It was more than a monster. Memories were shoved into his brain almost painfully, one after another, a complete blur. Death, murder, suspicions, quick thinking, and…
"Writing someone's name in this kills them? Can you believe that?"
"Huh?" Light's voice sounded a bit strained, and L felt himself wondering if the brunette was going to be okay. "It is hard to believe but we can't exactly test it, right? Right, Yagami-san?"
"Of course not, Ryuzaki," Soichiro agreed.
"No choice then. For now, we'll just have to question Higuchi and that monster…that Shinigami…right?"
"Ryuzaki, I'll compare the names written here to the names of the victims," Light suggested, his body still facing away from the older detective and the sharpshooting old man in the back of the helicopter.
"Huh? Yes, good idea." Something wasn't right. There was a strange feeling in the air, and Goosebumps rose on his flesh. How could someone who was screaming in such terror a moment ago be unnaturally calm and helpful?
"I've won." The smile on his face could not be controlled, his eyes narrowed in cruel delight. "Exactly as planned!" Kira would win; L didn't have a chance anymore.
October 31, 2004
Splashing his face with cold water, Light looked up into his reflection and scowled. When he had spent weeks planning to clear himself of suspicion by giving up the Death Note for a few short months, this had definitely not been a part of his scheme. No, turning gay for L was definitely not part of the script. Looking down at his nude stomach, the young Asian sighed heavily as he examined the remaining marks from sex. Really, love bites on his stomach? And even more disturbing to his perfect god-like mind was the fact that he had allowed himself to bottom to that narcissistic detective.
He, Kira, taking it up the ass for his worst enemy. Wonderful. And not the least bit sexy.
'This isn't a total loss,' Light thought to himself as he mussed his hair into something attractive to the sugar addict in the bedroom. 'I have managed to force myself into a very delicate portion of L's psyche. He's socially retarded and probably doesn't have any experience with love except for being in love with me.' A particularly strong memory flashed through his mind, nearly doubling him over with its intensity. L above him, kissing him too softly, too intimately. It was real. Smiling coyishly at his reflection, Light went over his options. If he played his cards right, learning L's name would be simple enough. Easy? No; but straightforward enough.
However, he had to take something else into consideration. What if L was playing the same kind of game? Up to this point, there had been nothing at stake. With the memories of Kira gone, there had been no way he could incriminate himself, but now that those memories were back. One wrong move, one slip of the tongue, and everything would be over for him. A confident smirk curled on his moisturized lips. He would win.
Stepping out of the bathroom clothed in nothing but his pride, Light felt his cock swell to life at the scene in front of him. Bloody tendrils of sunlight burned through the window with an intensity that belonged distinctly to the sunset. Violets and pinks stained the sky with their sensual and broken colors, but more striking than the beauty unveiled by Nature, was L.
The wiry body was leaning against the clean window pane with his right hand and elbow supporting all the weight and his left foot trembling slightly to keep balance as the right foot rested limply, crossed at the ankles. From that angle, the sanguine beams of light slashed across the paper skin, desperately trying to curl around the curves of flesh and bones, even as the dark hooded creature etched into the skin laughed in derision. Tattoos had never particularly attracted Light before, but the Grim Reaper on L's back was a beautiful work of art, a stamp that marked the detective for certain death.
Wrapping his toned arms around the thin waist, Light allowed himself to press a kiss against the tip of the scythe. "Beautiful."
L looked over his shoulder with an amused grin. "Why, thank you Light-kun." They were finally playing on equal terms again. He no longer had to indulge in guilt.
/_/_/_/
Breaking a pencil in irritation, Mello stared at the complicated words on the page. There were three columns, each not only in a different language, but also containing different subject materials. French law, Egyptian law, and Chinese law. It was practically impossible to memorize the entire law book, but he was expected to do more than that. Tomorrow they would be given a one-question test.
They would be given a scenario and would have to write a plan of action with considerations to American, British, French, Spaniard, German, Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese, and Australian law. Each country would have its own plan of action report including analysis of the presented suspects, deductions from the crime scene and available reports, obstacles the regional law would provide, limitations of the authorities, the degree of help from the police required, any statistical tests that needed to be run, and anything else that might be needed to solve the case.
It would probably take most of the students all day to complete even though they were allowed a computer to type on rather than writing things longhand. However, the most challenging aspect of the test didn't necessarily have to do with the length, but rather had to do with one small detail. He would not be allowed to use any resources for the duration of the test. Not even a thesaurus.
The migraine that had been his constant companion for the past few weeks had built up to a deafening roar, and he wouldn't be able to study another thing without some heavy medication. Glancing over to see if Matt wanted to walk to the infirmary with him, a sudden, mind-numbing desire to commit murder nearly overtook him.
"Matt?"
"Yeah?"
"What the bloody hell are you doing?"
"The same thing I've been doing for the past twelve hours."
That was it. Jumping to his feet, Mello launched himself on the brunette and began to punch anything he could reach. "Damn it, Matt, are you mocking me? Are you just trying to piss me off?"
Laughter bubbled up from the assaulted boy as his friend continued to inflict faux-pain. Mello wasn't punching to hurt, Matt knew, or he would be weeping in agony; no, this was just Mello relieving stress by pretending to knock the lights out of his intended victim. "I'm just studying in my own way," he defended between unmanly giggles.
"Playing your stupid Pokémon game isn't studying!"
Taking hold of Mello's hands, Matt tugged the boy down on the bed with him. "Come on Mels, to each his own. Hey, maybe you need to take a break; you're not looking so good." A frown tugged at the corners of his lips as he took in the sight of his friend. Mello was looking a bit pale, darkened bags were making an appearance under his eyes, his hair was dull and pulled back in a messy ponytail, and deep wrinkles seemed etched on the usually smooth forehead. This Mello was exhausted.
Mello shrugged and stared at some spot above Matt's head. "Wanna come to the infirmary with me? I need some migraine medication."
Nodding, Matt slipped out of his bed and followed his friend. At times like these, he got worried about Mello. Yes, there was some highly difficult and super stupid test tomorrow, but he wasn't going to stress himself out studying for it. There was more to life than wasting time preparing for a "what if" situation. When it came time to take the test, all he had to do was use a little guessing and logic and come up with a concise 10 page reply. Mello's problem was that he could not constrain himself to "short and sweet". He needed to be grand and comprehensive, covering all possible angles and details; he needed to prove just how smart he was. It was stupid, really. If Mello would just listen to reason, he would realize that the more you wrote, the higher your chances were of making a mistake, and any mistake would cost him. Another reason Mello would undoubtedly make a mistake was the punishment he subjected his body to. In the blonde's opinion, three hours of sleep was too much, two meals of the day were optional, and free time meant that he wasn't studying hard enough. How could anyone expect to do their best mentally when they didn't even have it all together physically?
Entering the infirmary, Matt wasn't surprised to see a host of Wammy kids already in line. Stress-induced ulcers, intestinal discomfort, twitching, spasms, flues, migraines, and insomnia were common right before ranking tests. This time was no different. Looking around as he took a seat next to his friend, a thought slapped him hard across the face. Nearly all of the children here were his age or younger. It was a startling and sobering thought to realize that in less than two years he would be allowed to leave the orphanage. How had time managed to slip by so fast? It seemed only yesterday that he was being dragged out to play a football game with the older boys.
Wait, when did he start calling soccer, football? When had he lost his New York accent and replaced it with the uptight and snappish British? When had his legs gotten so long, or his goggles so tight? Hadn't he been struggling to keep them over his eyes only last week?
"When did we grow up, Mello?" he asked, confused with the deepened voice that came out.
"Matt, you're 14. You're not grown up."
"I'm almost 15."
"Still not good enough."
"You know what I mean."
Sighing, Mello looked up from his hands and gave the brunette a hard, long stare. "Matt, everyone grows up. We've been doing it every day of our lives."
Glancing around the room again, the brunette felt a little more unsettled. "When did Chase leave? And Amos, Joseph, Toby, Gena, and Evan? When did X, Y, and Z leave?"
"Shhh, Matt, calm down." Melllo's glare was enough to scare the others back to minding their own businesses. "Look, it doesn't matter when they left or when the new kids came. We're here and there's a ranking test tomorrow; that's what you should be worried about."
Biting back more questions, Matt resigned himself to the fact that Mello's mind couldn't spend enough attention to him to have a meaningful conversation. Anything more than "you're the smartest and the bestest" would be met with the same default reply: "We have a ranking test tomorrow, so worry about that." What a friend.
"Can we talk about it after the test?"
Mello shrugged. "Sure, we can talk about it after the test."
November 4, 2004
The sound of the door sliding open surprised Wammy. No one but L knew about this room and the detective hadn't spoken to him outside from the case in months. Turning in his swivel chair, Quillsh looked up into the drawn face of the world's three greatest detectives.
"What seems to be the trouble, Ryuzaki?" The young man continued to stare at the ground, his wide owlish eyes muddled with a cacophony thoughts and emotions. He turned to stare more fully at the young man. "What's wrong?"
"Willish?" The young child looked up at the wizened man with concern and an almost sorrowful expression.
"What's wrong?" Quillsh asked as he squatted next to the toddler seated at a plastic table with an aluminum tea party set.
The boy held out his sugar bowl. "It's empty."
"I'm…sorry."
All kinds of warnings flashed through Mr. Wammy's mind at the utterance of those two small words. "Here, here, what are you talking about?"
His expression never wavered. "You've always told me to apologize when I do something wrong or when I hurt someone's feelings."
"I've told you that for years, so why would you choose to listen now?"
Looking up from his feet, L's eyes went towards the computer screens with surveillance footage playing. "I've hurt you, my old friend. I've used you and your resources without thanks. I've discourteously stolen years of your life for my own purposes. I've been a burden and a brat. I disregarded your direct command to not engage in physical intimacy with Light Yagami."
Quillsh's eyes softened. "Not considering the facts that I've never considered you a burden and that my years helping you have been the most fulfilling of my life, you still haven't answered my question. Why now?"
L shuffled closer to his mentor. "Watari, I'm going to force Kira's hand." The words were spoken with a kind of faraway tone, as if his mind was elsewhere. "I hope to survive and thus catch him, but I can't ignore that my chances are slim."
A heavy stillness spread through the air and the older gentleman stared at L standing before him. There was no fear in that hunched figure, only a certain reservation, a certain air of disbelief. He could not deny that there were mixed feelings fluttering through his own heart. This was the boy he had raised, the most perfect human in all of creation, the pinnacle of mankind. This was…his son. "I assume that you want me to prepare for your death?"
"Make sure to contact Roger one more time before tomorrow. Also, set up my systems to download all of the files on this case to the Roger's computer with the label 'Successor' on them. Don't forget to check up on the reservations for my gravesite. Oh, and if I should die, get a ticket for England immediately and hide out at Wammy's House. There's no need to put yourself at anymore risk; besides, you would serve my successor better."
It was surreal to be speaking so casually of death. "What about a successor? Do you want me to send your final decision along with the files of the Kira case?"
"No." Smiling a little as he stroked his lower lip, L shook his head. "There's no need to. If I were to chose a successor, then the one not chose would have no reason to work on the Kira case as well and Kira would never be caught. There isn't enough time to fully train either of them and there's no way that they'll be able to outsmart Light by themselves."
"They'll have your information, L, as well as my expertise."
"That's not enough." He was looking past the screens, his voice faraway again. "It's impossible for either of them to surpass me; the only chance mankind has is if they work together. Mello will undoubtedly resign from being my successor and will go after Kira on his own. Near will take my position and resources. By doing this, the two of them will be tackling the case from two different points of view and Light won't know what hit him when they make their move. I only wish that we had a little more time to prepare them…"
Watari felt a swelling of pride. Even in the face of his possible death, L was thinking hundreds of moves ahead. "But only if you die. If you live, the case will be over. Then we can go home and have a cup of Roger's excellent Earl Grey before moving on to the next one."
"Make sure that Mello doesn't get too crazy when he goes out on his own. Keep an eye on him at all times, and make sure to give him all the resources he'll need."
"Very good, sir."
"Goodbye." L turned on his heel abruptly, as if remembering that there was someplace that he was needed. "Oh, don't forget to make sure that Wedy and Aiber get out safely as well. They've helped me more than enough."
"Goodbye…L."
The door slid shut with just as much force as usual, but it sent shivers down Quillsh's back. It was the sound of a falling guillotine.
November 5, 2004
"What's going on? The criminals are being killed again?"
"All at once," Matsuda added in shock.
"Sixteen just last night," Aizawa informed the rest of the taskforce as he typed frantically, "all the people shown on TV since Higuchi's death."
L glanced over at Light's frustrated expression. "Kira, damn it!" the boy muttered as he stared at the list of deaths scrolling on the screen.
"So, as we suspected, Higuchi wasn't Kira," Soichiro concluded.
"No, Dad, it's accurate that Higuchi was killing the criminals up to the time he was caught."
Aizawa turned to face the young Asian. "So then, another Kira has appeared?"
"Ahhhh!" Matsuda cried in frustration. "Why?"
Another panda cookie made its way into Ryuzaki's ruthless mouth.
"But," Light started, "this makes it clear that there really is another notebook out there. Right Rem?"
The Shinigami looked uncertainly at Light. "Must be. A Shinigami wouldn't go out of his way to kill only criminals."
"This happened as soon as Misa was freed, didn't it?"
"Ryuzaki, are you still saying that? Misa is not involved. The killings started as soon as Higuchi died."
Another panda met its doom. "That's true, Yagami-kun. Well, if there is another notebook and someone is using it, I'll catch him." As if to prove his point, the detective bit off the head of another panda cookie.
Kira could see the wheels turning in L's head as he tried to solve the unsolvable puzzle. He had combined halves from two puzzles and they could not fit together, but L would keep on trying. However, sooner or later he was going to realize that those pieces weren't from the same picture. If he figured that out…
"Ryuzaki, even if we do catch the person who was writing in the notebook, can we really convict and punish him as a serial killer?" Light asked a little doubtfully.
"Well, of course!" Matsuda chimed in. "He wrote countless names knowing that people would die. We should execute him in secret if we don't want the existence of the notebook to go public." The young officer was almost red in the face with the conviction of his words.
Aizawa shook his head. "Killing him is harsh, but I bet that's what our superiors would demand."
No one noticed the horrified expression on Rem's face as the conversation carried on.
"If he admits to killing with the notebook, he would receive the death penalty." L spoke with an almost nonchalant tone. "Or at least life-sentence. Yes, something like that, but there's no point in thinking about it now."
Barely turning his head, Kira threw Rem a challenging glance. 'What will you do?'
/_/_/_/
Rain was whipping through the air like icy little whips. Even though he had come up in search of Ryuzaki, Light was still surprised to find the older man standing in the midst of the torrent. They were on top of an extremely tall building, for goodness's sake, and there was no guarantee that even if a lightning bolt hit the lightning rod they would be unscathed. Rain drops streamed down the man's pale face.
"What are you doing there, Ryuzaki?" he called out. The detective tilted his head slightly and then cupped his hand behind his ear as if he hadn't been able to hear Light's voice through the rain. Taking a deep breath, Light called out louder this time. "What are you doing there Ryuzaki?" With a mischievous smile, L only leaned a little closer, still indicating that he could not hear over the rain. 'Damn brat,' he thought before stepping out into the frigid rain. The wind was brutal, throwing the rain around carelessly and soaking him through in a matter of seconds. "What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" he asked as soon as he got close to the detective.
The mischievous smile was gone, and L seemed to be focused on the swelling puddle near his foot. "Well, I'm not doing anything in particular, but…" L looked up towards the distance, not seeming to mind the stinging rain. "The sound of bells…" he mumbled absentmindedly.
"Bells?"
"Yes," L replied, only sparing Light a brief glance. "The bells have been really noisy throughout the day."
Light strained his ears for a moment, trying to hear anything other than the white noise of the downpour. "I don't hear anything."
"Really?" the detective seemed genuinely surprised. "They've been ringing all day, and I can't help but feel curious. Do you suppose it's a church—a wedding? Or perhaps…"
"What are you talking about Ryuzaki?" Light interrupted. He didn't really like the somber tone L had taken to. "Don't say silly things. Now, let's go back inside."
L looked away from the Asian boy. "I'm sorry. Everything that I say is nonsense, so please don't believe any of it."
Light's expression softened as he continued to take in the sight of L sopping wet. His downcast eyes seemed even more lifeless than usual, and the grey skies did nothing for the detective's pale complexion. Rain water swelled inside of wild clumps of hair before falling heavily to the roof. The urge to comfort the strangely solemn man swelled. "That's right, Ryuzaki. Most of what you say is nonsense. There would be no end if I took you seriously all the time." L was looking at him again, seeking that comfort. "I know that the best. We've been roommates long enough for me to know that."
Just roommates.
"Yes, that's right, Light-kun." His voice was as chilling as the rain. "But, it's true for the both of us."
"What do you mean?"
A weary and gentle smile rose on L's lips as he looked directly into Light's eyes. "Have you ever told the truth at any point since you were born?"
For a moment, it seemed like all sound had vanished. There was no punishing rain, there was no wind, no bells. Existence had been narrowed down to the two of them, feeling and pushing. Staring. Analyzing.
"What are you talking about Ryuzaki? It's true that I lie once in a while, but how many people live their entire lives only telling the truth?" There was that rain again. "Humans aren't made perfectly; everybody lies. Even so, I've been careful not to tell lies that hurt others. That's my answer."
A look of resignation crossed L's face this time; never had Light seen so many emotions and so clearly. "I thought you'd say that." It was a final sentence, a point of no return. There was no more hope, foolish hope. "Let's go back; we're drenched."
"Yeah," Light replied, somehow feeling that he said something wrong. He had just made a mistake, and he couldn't take it back.
Several minutes later found Light sitting on the stairway, rubbing his hair with a fluffy white towel. L walked over slowly, his tattered tennis shoes squeaking with water. "Well, that was awful!" he said cheerily.
"It's your fault," Light retorted as he tried to get his hair dried. "You were standing in that rain."
"You're right. Sorry." Slipping the towel off of his own head, L shuffled down the stairs until he was at Light's feet. Promptly, he sat on his heels and lifted up one of Light's perfectly shaped feet.
Light started in surprise. "What are you doing Ryuzaki?"
"I thought I'd help you," he replied so innocently. Something was off with this L; he was too calm, too open, too…
Honest.
"You don't have to do that."
"I can give you a massage as well," L pushed. "It's the least I can do to atone for getting you so wet, Light-kun. I'm actually pretty good at this."
His heart was pounding, but he had to act unaffected and a little irritated. "Fine. Do what you want."
"All right."
Concentration smoothed over L's features as he focused on the wet foot in his hands. His bony fingers clenched the lavender-smelling towel and gently brushed the flawless heel and arch. Light's foot twitched and the boy stifled a gasp. Was it surprise or pleasure?
"H-hey," Light began to protest.
"You'll get used to it," L whispered, his fingers urging the cloth to drag across more skin.
Just as his foot was getting warm and dry from the gentle strokes, something cold fell against his skin, causing him to start once more. Glancing down, he noticed how wet L still was. Droplets of water were still dripping from the tips of his raven hair, and yet he didn't seem to notice. His hands kept the towel moving, those long bony digits adding pressure to certain points on his foot. Grabbing his own towel, Light leaned forward and began to stroke strands of L's hair dry.
"You're still wet," he whispered softly.
L briefly looked up, the foreign expression of sadness heavy in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
His hands took hold of Light's other foot, repeating the same motions. The smothering feeling was swelling inside of the younger man. He couldn't even look at L as he felt those sensual hands playing across his skin. The towel would slide, bringing heat with its friction, only to be soothed into a comfortable warmth with gentle pressure. L was right; he was good at giving foot massages. It almost seemed as if time was frozen. In the cavernous stairway, each was making an impossible wish.
Don't let this end.
"How sad," L muttered, his voice slightly strained.
"What?"
Through the wet and disheveled bangs, a dark eye peeked out with so much expression that the young brunette wondered if he was seeing things. "We'll soon part."
He didn't want to hear that, not from L, not from those lips. It was hurting, it was choking. What could he say? Planting a hand on the step between Light's open legs, L leaned forward. Could he do this? Would he have this one last chance? No matter the outcome, this would be over. Never again would he be allowed to touch so freely. Both pairs of lips were trembling, and neither could say if it was from the rain's chill, or from the desperate nerves.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Hot hands were groping desperately, bruising lips were clashing. A stairway was digging into vertebrae, but went ignored. The slap of wet clothes being thrown against the stair echoed up and down the hall. Why was it so hard not to cry? Fingernails scraped down to leave their last marks. More, he wanted so much more. They wanted more. Chest to chest and panting, it didn't feel like enough. Wasn't there more time? It was cruel, adding a scar to his heart.
Panting.
Sweating.
Clenching.
Kissing.
Wanting.
Arching.
Feeling.
Lo-
A phone rang out. Pausing over Light's body, L seemed to have been snapped back to reality. Another ring. He pulled away, snatching up the phone from his soaked jean pocket.
"Yes?" Light watched L's back as the detective took the call. Panting, he could see it, see the face of the Shinigami. "All right, I'll go immediately." There was no more time, it was grinning, the scythe glinting. Snapping the cellular phone shut, L turned back to the younger boy. "Let's go, Light. It seems it went well."
Slipping on his clothes, L proceeded to shuffle down the steps followed closely by Light.
/_/_/_/
"Oh, Ryuzaki! What's the meaning of this?" Matsuda seemed a bit on edge as if he couldn't decide to be upset or confused. The other taskforce members didn't seem too pleased, Light noticed, as the two of them walked towards the computers. "I heard that you got approval from another country to use the notebook for an execution!"
Hopping onto his seat, L didn't seem the slightest bit disturbed. "Watari, good job."
"My pleasure," the garbled voice replied.
"Let's immediately make arrangements to transport the notebook."
"Yes, sir."
"Ryuzaki, what's the meaning of this?" Light demanded.
Lifting up his stirring spoon, L didn't miss a beat. The ball was rolling now, and he had no time to waste. "It means that I'm going to try out the notebook for real." Everyone in the room gasped in surprise. 'Make your move, Kira.'
"That's pointless! We don't have to do that!" Aizawa protested. "We already know the power of the notebook is real, don't we?"
"Besides," Matsuda jumped in, "who's going to write the name? Once you write in the notebook, you have to continue writing every thirteen days!"
L was prepared. "The one who's going to write the name is someone who will be executed within thirteen days. If he's still alive after thirteen days, we've made a plea bargain to commute his execution."
"But we can't sacrifice people's lives," Soichiro protested.
"Just a little more!" L insisted, cutting off anymore complaints. "If we just clear this, the case will be solved."
Light flashed before the ungodly crash of thunder shook the building. Straight out of a horror novel, the power in the building failed. Almost immediately, the eerie red of backup lights filled the room with its shadow. There was one shadow missing.
"What's this, a blackout?" Matsuda cried.
L's eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen in front of him. As the computers were struggling to reboot, a crash was heard over the intercom. "What's wrong, Watari?" he questioned, a feeling of dread clenching his stomach. No, the old man must have just fallen out of his chair on the way to turn the lights back on; he was just old and blind and tripped over his chair! "Watari?" His voice shook as he leaned forward as if he could reach through the screen.
Blue-grey eyes focused on the screen as he struggled to keep on his feet for just a moment longer. The pain was excruciating, shooting through his chest and trying to lock up his arm. But he had to do it, he had to warn L. Gasping for air, Quillsh struggled to reach the single button. There were so many things he should have told L, so many things that he should have done for the boy.
I'm proud of you.
There will never be another like you.
You don't have to be a detective if you don't want to.
I love you…my son.
It was all fading, but he was comforted in the fact that the last things his weary old eyes would see was the face of his child. If only L didn't look so horrified.
Click.
"Watari!"
ALL DATA DELETED.
"Data deletion? What's the meaning of this?" Someone yelled out in confusion.
The panic was palpable, but for L one emotion was even stronger. Rage. Dammit, why didn't he think that Kira would go after Watari, why didn't he protect the older man better! It didn't make sense! Watari was never in the presence of a Kira who could kill just by looking at someone! Light had only seen him once and even then he didn't have access to the notebook. But Misa wasn't being monitored, but that didn't make sense because she had never seen the old man and—
"I told Watari to erase all information in the event that something happened to him," L hissed.
"If something happened?" Aizawa questioned, sweat rolling down his collar.
Really, now was not the time to be stupid! Why couldn't these task force members use their heads? "Where's the Shinigami?" he demanded, looking around. The large grotesque figure was nowhere to be seen."
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him." Soichiro glanced around frantically. "He's nowhere! What's the meaning of this?"
"Everyone, the Shiniga—"
The pain hit like a bolt of lightning. His head was swimming and he had the sensation of falling. It took him a few seconds to realize that he had indeed fallen. But…Light's arms were around him. There was a voice in the background, but he couldn't really hear the words. Bells were ringing. Light was looking down at him. Light was streaming through stained glass. Voices were speaking. Children were crying. Bells and more bells. There was…
And Kira was smirking down at him. 'I knew it…I wasn't…wrong…but…I…'
…Gone.
"Ryuzaki? Ryuzaki!"
/_/_/_/
"That hurt, Mello!" Zack yelped, his hand holding his head where the blonde's soccer ball hit him.
"Ha ha!" Mello taunted as he turned on his heel and sprinted across the field. It felt so good to be stretching out his muscles and exerting all of his pent up energy.
It always took over a week to grade the ranking tests, so Mr. Wammy always allowed his children that time to relax and recover from all the stress. Many children were catching up on their sleep, but others were experiencing the fresh air that they'd kept themselves from for the past few weeks.
"Near, why don't you come outside for once?" Linda asked as she headed out with some friends.
"No thank you," he replied as he busily clicked puzzle pieces into place.
"Forget him, Linda," James urged as he pushed the girl towards the front door.
Matt leaned against the warm roof shingles, content to watch the clouds floating by and the leaves swirling around. Smoke from his freshly lit cigarette was snatched up by the dancing wind.
To be continued...
Author's Notes: Good Oogie Boogie! This took FOREVER to put up! T^T
This is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to write. It took months for me to even get enough resolve to write out L's death scene. And as you can probably tell, I still had a hard time with it. I didn't want to kill L, to not write him anymore. Even worse was that I felt that he did a lot of changing in this chapter, and I didn't really get to write him how I liked best: the snarky and bratty detective. He went a little emo there at the end…
As for Light, I was so worried that he was getting OOC, especially with the explorations into his feelings (gasp, you mean he actually has feelings?). However, I felt that I didn't commit character-rape entirely. Light is still human, and no one can be in L's presence that long without feeling something.
If you really feel like crying, listen to "Room of Angel" while re-reading L and Light's last intimate scene. There's a link on my profile page to that song, if you're interested.
Thanks for all the continual support! A short side-chapter will be put up soon, and then I'll tackle the issue of getting rid of this story's separation lines. Once those things are accomplished, we will enter the Mello and Near arc! –pulls out the Kleenex boxes-
By the way, I realize that the final scene in this chapter is actually supposed to take place on November 15, 2004, but I thought that it would work so much better where I put it.
Thanks for all the lovely reviews/alerts/faves!