Handcuffs

"RYUZAKI, ARE YOU sure you don't need an ambulance?" Misa had thrown one of L's arms around her shoulders and, leaning sideways, she supported his weight as the pair walked towards the office chairs.

"I'm fine," L managed between ragged breaths as he lowered himself into his seat, "it's most likely just indigestion. The building has temporarily been locked down anyway, so this gives me the opportunity to relay exactly how I caught you… Kira."

"Kira jar," came Light's defiant reply, his voice muffled against the floor.

"Actually, um…" Matsuda pointed to himself enthusiastically, one knee still pressed into the small of Light's back, " I helped too-"

"Look, Mr So-Called-Greatest-Detective, you haven't caught anyone yet!" Misa snarled in indignation, hands upon her hips. "Just because Light had a stupid piece of paper, it doesn't mean that anyone here is Kira!"

"It does actually." L closed his eyes tiredly. "Allow me to explain everything…"

x-x-x

"On the night Hatori was arrested, the Death Note was handed to me as evidence. The only person to suffer an adverse reaction to touching the notebook was Light. When he collapsed it was initially assumed that he was having a heart attack. However, this later transpired to be a tachycardia where the heart beats unusually fast, typically in response to stress. I could, in fact, tell this right away as I held him. So what could have made Light's heart beat abnormally fast? Matsuda, no."

Matsuda lowered his hand, grinning sheepishly.

"After Light was admitted to hospital I endeavoured to investigate further. Using my network, I was able to arrange an extensive array of medical tests which would confirm whether Light had indeed suffered a tachycardic episode or if he was faking this as a distraction. Tests concluded it was the former."

Light, who was now sitting upon the floor in front of Matsuda, glanced up at L. Hadn't he heard his father praising all of L's efforts whilst they had been at the hospital? He thought back over his words of gratitude. "Yes, they were very detailed… we have Ryuzaki to thank for that."

Undeterred, L continued.

"Whilst in the hospital, we were also able to conduct an interview with Hatori who was being treated for his gunshot injury, before being moved to prison. His testimony was incredibly useful and outlined how he had acquired the Death Note, confirming my theory that it had been passed on purposefully with instructions from another individual. Hatori was ordered to write down the names of thirteen criminals a day after they had been mentioned in the media. Otherwise he could use the Death Note however he wanted. Our theory regarding his attempt to break up the Yotsuba Group in order to save his half brother was also proven accurate. He might have gotten away with it all too, had it not been for his own stupidity.

Light returned to headquarters and was adamant about staying to help the investigation. Either this was an earnest offer from Light Yagami demonstrating his unwavering devotion to justice or… he had regained his memories of being Kira. Knowing that I was placing my own life at stake-"

Light's body jerked suddenly. Those words… those exact words. He remembered the melancholic tone of them; the way L had stared down at his knees rather than look Light in the face as he spoke. "The hypothetical notion of self-sacrifice is one thing but to knowingly put a life at stake is a whole other matter. I simply can't allow it."

"Wait-" Light interrupted for the first time, his voice still thick from his injured nose. "- I thought you were worried about something happening to me. But this whole time you weren't trying to protect me, you were just trying to protect yourself!" L's lids lowered over his dark eyes.

"...with a shinigami and the owner of a Death Note at headquarters, it seems I had a right to be," he continued in a clipped voice.

Light swore and scuffed his heel against the polished floor. As yet another memory returned to him, uninvited, he felt a sting of betrayal. Twenty floors up the pair had stood before the rain-drenched terrace, L watching him guardedly. All this time Light thought he had sensed a vulnerability in him; an emotion so strong that it had overpowered L's objectivity. In reality it was merely L's suspicion that Light had regained Kira's power.

"Really? You don't feel anything has changed...?"

And so it had. Now nothing would ever be the same.

"Whether it was to my benefit or detriment, I agreed that Light could continue to reside here. And so, he took a room on the third floor," L continued blandly. "Kira is cautious with his movements, successfully evading capture at every turn of this investigation and extinguishing the trail of evidence as the notebook has passed on to each individual… If Light had indeed become Kira again then he would not have been so foolish as to bring the second Death Note to headquarters. No, rather he would have used a proxy, someone he trusted, to act on his behalf. I assumed the most likely candidate to be Misa, who had since moved out of the building.

After thoroughly examining the Death Note, I found that a page had been torn. When I questioned Rem about this, it refused to confirm or deny whether a single page retained the full effects of the notebook. However, I found this a helpful hint in itself, for it seemed that even a shinigami could demonstrate loyalty for the sake of a human - in this case either Light Yagami or Misa Amane. Upon studying old footage from the Yotsuba launch party, there were several occasions when Misa appeared to be communicating with someone unseen; nodding to herself or shaking her head as though in response to something."

Light cursed again, his head lowered so that his damp fringe hid his eyes. Of course, that explained why L had studied that old footage so painstakingly.

"Could this have been Rem, invisible to all but her? Misa would have had the opportunity of coming into contact with the shinigami, however briefly, on the day she visited Yotsuba's Tokyo office with Matsuda. Against my very clear instructions to escort Misa Amane at all times, it seems that Matsuda briefly parted from her when he went snooping around Shimura's office."

Matsuda was pretending to re-fasten the lace on his shoe.

"Even though he was employing a proxy, Kira is meticulous in his planning and would always retain control of his powers in some small form. A single page of the notebook could be concealed either on his person or close to hand in a hidden space. But, if I was correct, how would I locate the note? Last night I used an old trick and had Watari set off the fire alarm whilst I was in Light's company. In an emergency, it is normal for a person to prioritise the rescue of what they value most. Now, Kira wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the exact location in front of me, but he would reveal a slight tell. And, Light, that's when you reached for your watch."

A plunging, glacial sensation froze Light's insides. Again, the memory surfaced against his will. Light recalled the previous night, when the sprinklers had rained down upon them. He had plunged his watch-clad wrist into his pocket as his other hand had sheltered his eyes. "That's just perfect."

"There's a chance that this isn't simply a fault," L had warned him as water had drenched him from head to foot.

"I followed Light to his room but he didn't exhibit any other suspicious behaviour whilst in there. I was getting desperate, knowing that Kira had the means and incentive to kill me. Light never removes his watch, apart from when showering, so I decided the most direct means of investigating it would be to do so as he slept."

"I-" Light's outburst was so abrupt that his three companions all turned to look at him. Light shook his head wordlessly. He could not explain… could not conceive that everything that had happened between them had merely been an act. For how could L have lost himself so completely then, only to sit here reporting the details so calmly now? It was incomprehensible that someone could put on such a convincing performance. But, just as Light had convinced himself of this, another recollection taunted him.

"Why is it so bad that I would do literally anything to solve this case? Surely it's a testament to my dedication."

"Later that night, as you were sleeping, I managed to discreetly open the watch. Misa, you can ask questions at the end. Only I would advise that for your benefit you don't.

Inside, I discovered two pieces of paper. Whilst this was advantageous to closing the case, it still meant that the papers had to be used in order to confirm that they were indeed pages torn from a Death Note and not plain note paper. The final stage of my plan was the most risky of all. I knew that to avoid being killed, I would have to die first.

Watari was integral to this final step. The next day, I had him apply aconite in the form of a salve to a spoon handle. When absorbed through the skin at a low dosage, the poison acts as a paralytic. After I had touched the implement the substance gradually entered my system and, as you all witnessed, I fell to the floor. At the time I was also holding a rubber ball under my arm. By applying enough pressure, it can briefly cut off the pulse to the arm. That and, with the given context, all those present incorrectly assumed that I had died from a sudden heart attack.

Wedy followed the shinigami, unnoticed, and planted the Death Note in the room to make it look as if I had been killed by Rem."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Light's mind reeled. Now he thought about it, Rem had never actually claimed responsibility for writing L's name. In fact, looking back, she had seemed utterly disinterested in the detective's death.

"How did my own name come to appear in the Death Note? You see, I had Watari contact a county prison to test out one of the Death Note's rules. A page of the Death Note was sent off to see whether or not the full effects remained despite it being ripped from the original book. One of the rules - the Thirteen Day Rule - intrigued me most of all, but I was not convinced that I would live long enough to see the result of my endeavour. Instead, I decided to request that the prisoner, who was scheduled to die today, misspell my name four times. It was easy enough to arrange as there are at least eight different pronunciations. Eventually the prisoner was shown my name to copy but was directed to do this incorrectly. The voicemail I received when you were with me, Light, was Watari confirming that the prisoner had died. The rule is a doubly useful one as it ensures that the would-be victim is forever exempt to the effects of that particular Death Note.

Following my 'death,' Watari gave a suitably impressive performance of a grieving father figure, enough so that the other officers felt inclined to grant us some privacy. Watari used the opportunity to inject me with a dose of adrenaline which counteracted the aconite.

Wedy then intercepted the ambulance that your father had called, Light, and in paramedic's garb along with Aiber, they removed me from the premises. Soichiro agreed to travel to the hospital acting as next of kin, whilst Mogi and Aizawa accompanied a distraught Watari. This diversion allowed Aiber to move me out of sight before replacing my 'corpse' with a mannequin upon the gurney.

It took several minutes before the effects of the aconite had worn off and I had regained use of my limbs enough to stand. I saw Rem emerge from the room on the first floor and that led me to where you, Matsuda, were apprehending Light and Misa at gunpoint. After a short but intense fight, I now hold in my hand proof of a note containing Light's name. The paper has evidently come from a second notebook as this was written within 0.06 seconds of Rem recording Light's name in its own Death Note. Therefore, this proves that without a doubt, Light Yagami had full knowledge of the second Death Note. This, within the context of the other information available to us, leads me to conclude that he wields Kira's power."

x-x-x

Night had seamlessly bled out from the morning sky; its ink stains soaked up by the cloud-sodden horizon. A mere twenty four hours had passed since the fire alarm had clanged urgently throughout the Task Force Headquarters. Now the building stood in pale daylight; silent. It was almost impossible to comprehend the sheer intensity of the thrills, horrors and confusion that befallen the row of four individuals, all of whom were now sitting propped up against the cold wall of the central computer room.

"Can you… give us a moment?" Light glanced at Misa expectantly as the model showed no inclination of moving.

"Oh, you mean you and L?" Misa's mouth twisted. "I guess that makes sense seeing as you're both on that side of the fence now…"

"Light may be, but your description only reflects a seventh of what I'm actually into," L corrected her. At Misa's obvious confusion he added, "another way to put it would be to say that my backyard doesn't even have a fence."

No more reassured than she was before, Misa left the central room with Matsuda. The former police detective began to reach for the back of his hair, before letting his arm fall forlornly by his side. Watching them, Light gripped his hands together upon his knees.

"I'm not saying I am… you know. But, if I go-" Light swallowed. "Let's say, if I go quietly… will you make sure nothing happens to Misa?" Beside him, L was leaning his head upon folded arms, his knees drawn characteristically up to his chest.

"We both know that Misa only acted under Kira's influence, so she's no threat on her own. Besides, I just know that Rem is probably still watching and I'd hate to think of what would happen to the one who tries harming her…"

"I had considered it," L sighed. "And, given the shinigami's behaviour, I suppose it can't be helped." He looked down at his bare feet before he spoke again. "What were you both planning to do with the second notebook?"

Light lifted his head.

"Don't look so surprised. Whilst I'm convinced that you were Kira originally, and nothing can change my mind on that front, I don't believe that you've been murdering droves of criminals this time round."

Light rocked forwards and then settled himself more comfortably against the wall. "I was going to have the shinigami lend it to another person. I thought I could keep an eye on their movements and, that way, help to catch them. I knew there was a real risk of us being murdered for the Death Note… that's why I asked you about the disabling rule…"

"So that if we prepared to send off a page of Hatori's notebook to be tested, you could insist that Misa's name be used? And then all you had to do was switch pages with one taken from Misa's note?" Light nodded.

"A careful plan which minimised loss of life, apart from the two criminals whose existence you clearly value less than others," L mused to himself. "Exactly what I would expect of you, Light."

"The sad thing is, it wouldn't have been hard to find someone who wanted that kind of power," Light admitted grimly, "and, quite frankly, someone like that wouldn't deserve freedom anyway."

The faint flicker of L's smile faded.

"You do understand what will happen to you if you admit to all charges?"

"Yes…" Light regarded his knees soberly, his voice hoarse. "Like I said to you before, our goal is to catch Kira together… even if it means placing me under arrest." He thought back to the terror he had felt as Matsuda had apprehended him; how his desperation to save himself had brought him so perilously close to ending his friend's life. Light's face was drained of what little colour remained in it.

"When it comes down to it, I'm no better than Hatori or any other criminal who longs for the Death Note's power. If they can never walk free, then why should I? So long as there's a chance that another notebook could come into the world, I can never be free from its corruption. That's why I can't allow Kira to return because it would be worse than dying. It would be as if I'd never existed. It would be the end of Light's mind, Light's memories, Light's heart. And I refuse to let go of all the things that I hold dear and which have shaped the true me."

He flexed his fingers, feeling L's hand close around his own.

"I just have one request…" Light wiped his eyes with his free hand. "Please don't tell my father. I have to be the one to do it…"

L drew Light into his arms. One hand moved upwards from the small of Light's back to his hair, where his fingers gently stroked from the crown of Light's head down to the nape of his neck. Light pressed his face into L's shoulder and, with complete surrender, began to cry weakly into his shirt.

"Rule one," L reminded him quietly, "the handcuffs do not come off."

"What are you talking about…? We're not chained together anymore…"

"The handcuffs do not come off. I can see them now, just as real as you or me."

- I was set on having a chapter (almost) exclusively narrated by L, so we have this. The ideas for the fire alarm trick and ball under the arm thing came from Sherlock. There's also a reference from 'You' (the aconite).

- The joke about the fence comment only covering "a seventh" of what L is into comes from the show 'Community.' I guess L's sexual orientation is mystery, sorry guys!

One more chapter to go...