Nine months due
Chapter Rating: T
Gen. Warnings: LxLight, yaoi (but only slightly in this chapter), Mpreg, OOCness, profanity, some spoilers
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note
Brief summary: The Shinigami King, slightly paranoid that their existence would be exploited sought out a complicated plan to erase the world's memory of Kira and therefore create a relatively peaceful, Kira-less world. But! The consequence for this was to make Raito pregnant, thanks to L's growing love for the boy (which he acted upon, obviously). Now L has to stay with Raito in order to keep the world at peace.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Short version is, well as you might have guessed. I'm discontinuing this series and just releasing the last (unedited) chapters out of respect for readers. Then, I will release a new unedited version that at least has an ending for my own closure.
Long version: Here goes, I started this story more than 12 years ago, still unemployed and frustrated with the job search with all the rejections and false hopes, and I wanted a release from that along with the dissatisfaction with the ending of Death note (still couldn't accept it, but admittedly I don't think I can do a better job). It took me six months to get a job so during that time I was writing my heart out to distract myself from waiting.
Anyway, with work and life happening in my 20s, I could only do so much and do my best to update as much as possible. I developed a love-hate relationship with this story where I would sometimes forget it and come a year after I would feel guilt and write again.
It came to a point where I have to re-read everything before I can get a good grasp on what I wrote years ago. It was not fun, but I still am proud of the things that I wrote back then, and I genuinely want to finish the story. Well, there came a point where I got stuck with what I want to do plot wise, and am no longer happy with what was happening. I mean sure I can continue it and push through but it was taking a long time and I was no longer happy forcing myself to do the long process and then forgetting what I was supposed to do when I remember to continue it again.
WELL, come 2020, and I am stuck at home again with nothing to do, and I come across this unfinished work that I ignored for 3 years or something. I no longer know how to continue but the guilt of not finishing it still haunts me. So by November (Nanowrimo) I thought to just re-write the whole thing to the best of my memory and edit a few plot points here and there, actually edit a lot of plot points haha. I made it a Nanowrimo project to just sit down for 30 days and finish the whole thing, no matter how bad it turned out, no matter how many grammatical errors it has (English is my second language).
Thinking about it, ending wise, the original story would have taken that direction too, but it was the middle part that I no longer have interest in writing. I'm happy to say that I finally finished the story despite it being rewritten, and I am going to post it soon. In order to avoid it having the same fate as the original, I will post the entire thing with minimal edits, one chapter a day for the coming days, and when I feel like editing I will get back to it and update, or not.
I hope that it won't upset the readers too much. Truthfully, I am doing this more for myself than anything else. I don't regret writing any stories I have written so far, and am proud of having the effort to do so. I just want to give an ending to this so that I can find closure, for my own satisfaction, and move on. I am sorry once again for taking a very long time to this story, and I hope you understand.
The story so far:
Twelve chapters later (I mean, more than one month after the "incident"…), Raito finally gets the medical attention he needed by accidentally having a doctor as a date.
CHAPTER 19
Resolutions
L could not believe it. He more than wanted to just dream it away, but it made him uncomfortable since his unwanted visitor is floating dangerously close to his special someone.
"You're not here to take the baby are you?" he deadpanned.
The thing laughed horribly, flipping incessantly in midair.
"Of course not, that thing is already your problem. I'm not getting involved." Ryuuk, the shinigami known for causing all this mess in the first place, replied.
"Then why are you still here?" he coldly asked. "Leave me and Raito-kun alone."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Detective, but I can't. This is an extremely important matter."
"If it does not involve Raito-kun, then I'm also out of it."
"Oh, it might not involve him at the moment, but sooner or later, it will. If you don't stop it now." Ryuuk inched closer to him now.
"What is it about then?"
The shinigami gave his creepy smile.
"It turns out that the human world was not entirely wiped out of the existence of the death note when this brat got pregnant. There was one major hitch to the plan."
L cocked his head to the right.
If you made a mistake then it's no longer our fault. I'm afraid this has nothing to do with us anymore."
"But it does! At least in the long run."
"How, shinigami-san?"
"Well, when this continues on, the entire world will eventually get familiar with the death note again, and Kira. There have been killings happening at this point, although it is still few that the public does not yet suspect it to be a result of a supernatural killing." Ryuuk explained. "When Kira gets back to the picture then Raito will get involved again, without the pregnancy."
L sighed.
"How did this happen?"
Ryuuk floated away from him this time.
"I want an apple first."
"Tell me the problem and I'll give you an apple. You were the one who started this in the first place."
"But it's been days since I ate an apple. My body is already twisting horribly."
"I can very much see that. But I still want to know the problem first."
L watched as the shinigami turned upside down in a handstand.
"Fine." Ryuuk said helplessly. "It's about Rem."
"Who?"
"Another shinigami. She was here even before Raito picked his death note."
"If that's the case, then why are you only saying this now?"
"It's true that we didn't consider it then. But the owner of the second death note appeared when Kira was already famous in the world. We assumed that the second death note was discovered much later. Turns out we were wrong." Ryuuk explained. "Rem was already here before all of that started. And the second death note is currently possessed by another human."
L clenched his fists.
"Originally, the second death note was possessed by Misa Amane, a Japanese actress. Another shinigami died in order to save her and she got the death note in the process. Rem was the one who handed her the death note and stuck with her ever since. But when I found Misa, she no longer has the death note or Rem."
"Which means, the current owner of the death note is yet to be found?"
"Yeah, exactly." Ryuuk said. "Can I have an apple now?"
L tossed him an apple from a nearby basket, which was devoured instantly.
"If you don't do anything about it soon, the current owner will continue killing relentlessly until it becomes a world emergency. Then the spell made to Raito will be forfeited." Ryuuk finally said. "You're a world famous detective, this will be easy for you. But you shouldn't tell anyone about the death note during the entire investigation."
L grit his teeth.
"This would be easier if you told me earlier, shinigami-san. I can't leave Raito-kun to himself, and I can't start this case with Raito-kun close to me."
"Then leave him here." Ryuuk simply answered. "His pregnancy is his problem alone. I don't see why you have to get involved. On the contrary, this case will be one of your most important cases yet."
"It's not that easy, shinigami san." L quietly answered.
"That's not really my problem anymore. I only came here as a messenger. It's still up to you." Ryuuk irresponsibly reasoned. "Well, I'll leave you two alone then."
And just like that, the negligent representative of the shinigami world handed L the entire responsibility that weighed as much as the whole world itself.
That happened the night after Christmas, when Raito was already under the covers, deep in his sleep. Today is the first day of the year, and L was still thinking everything that happened that night, that it was already consuming all his energy. It even caused him to drink an entire jug of coffee again, and made him lose at least three kilograms in weight.
"What is up with you?"
L blinked. Apparently, he was already face to face with Raito, the source of his worries.
"You've been like that for days now! Really, L. If you've got a problem with me, you've got to say it straight to my face."
"I have no problem with Raito-kun."
"Then, what is your problem?"the teen demanded. L looked down on the floor.
"…nothing, Raito-kun."
"That's not nothing, and you know it, L!" Raito was already looking impatient. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"
"It's fine, Raito-kun. I just don't want to talk right now."
The boy took a deep breath, evidently trying to calm himself.
"Look, I don't care if you don't tell your issues with me. Just don't make it affect my day by wearing that face. It's stressing me out."
"Then, would it help Raito-kun if I do this?" L gave a fake smile. The boy considered it a moment, and decided to let it go.
"That's better, I guess."
L felt relieved that the interrogation stopped for now, but the bigger problem was still staring straight at his face. It was a challenge even for him to maintain his poker face.
"Look, I won't bug you anymore. But can you please just stop thinking whatever you're thinking just this day? I just want to spend this moment with you."
"Why are we even on the rooftop, Raito-kun? This is a very dangerous place for you."
"You didn't seem to mind when I dragged you here. Or is it that you only realized just now?"
"That is out of the question, Raito-kun. Besides, everything that I've been thinking about involves…"
"Shhh…" Raito interrupted the troubled detective, which would deeply upset L had he not seen the clear anticipation showing on the boy's face. "Look, it's rising soon!"
"Wha-?"
"The sunrise! I wanted to watch it with you today, but you were really out of it since last week."
Raito suddenly held his hand as the sun rose slowly in the horizon.
"I figured that this will be the best view to see it from." He added. "Isn't it beautiful?"
L just nodded in agreement.
"Happy New Year, L." the boy kissed him on the cheek.
All of a sudden, a new form of guilt overcame the detective. Today was New Year's day. For someone like Raito, this perhaps may be the most romantic thing he's ever done so far. Ironically, for the entire time, it was as if he wasn't there at all. A tear rolled down his eye.
"I am sorry, Raito-kun" L apologized. "I wasn't thinking straight. And here you are, taking me on the rooftop so that we can see the first sunrise together."
The boy took another deep breath and slapped L's back.
"That's okay, silly. It's one of my selfish desires anyway. You don't have to worry about it."
L was still not convinced.
"Besides, if you really want to make it up to me, then we still have one Japanese tradition to participate in anyway. I think you'd really enjoy it." He said in a more seductive tone.
"What is Raito-kun suggesting?"
Leaning closer to the older man's ear, the boy whispered.
"Himehajime"
Immediately, L's face lit up.
L peered at a nearby window to see the kids starting to line up in front of the gate. It was still a little early in the morning and everyone is going to the morning mass again for blessings for the new year.
"So, are they about to leave?" Raito asked weakly, still slumped in bed with his newly disheveled hair.
"I think so, Raito-kun. We should also leave soon or else Watari would bug us for an entire year."
The just-violated teen groaned heavily.
"I told you to be gentle…"
He buried his head in a pillow. Admitting his fault, L sat next to Raito and kissed him tenderly all over.
"I am so sorry, Raito-kun. I was not able to control myself. This was the first time you initiated sex, after all."
The teen twitched. L then forced the pillow off of him to reveal an already flushed face.
"I just thought that you needed it. You were so out of it and kept ignoring me for the past week now."
L smiled.
"You are so sweet, Raito-kun" he kissed him some more before he pulled him up. "Come on, I'll dress you up so it would be easier on you." L pursued. "But we really have to go."
The teen sighed but let himself be dressed. L had a point. In this place, Watari is a force that not even L can fight against.
"Fine, but you have to treat me to something good."
"I promise, Raito-kun."
And so, once again, they lined up together with the kids to the nearby church. L had to make sure that the boy was keeping up with him, which must be a challenge for the said teen considering that it was barely noticeable that he was in serious pain. If not for the very strong grip he had on L's hand, he wouldn't even think that the boy is suffering. Finally, L couldn't take it anymore.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Raito gasped.
"I am carrying Raito-kun to church." L said simply.
"I-idiot! The others…"
"Raito-kun sprained his ankle last night. I can't just walk with him and let him go through the pain alone." L hoped that the excuse was enough, especially for the boy. "I can deal with Watari later, don't worry, Raito-kun."
The boy helplessly buried his face in L's chest in embarrassment.
"You're really an idiot, L."
"An idiot in love, Raito-kun."
The rest of the mass went on uneventfully, as L purposely avoided the correcting gaze that the old man was giving him. He didn't even mind the puzzled look on the older children's face as stare at L's back, Mello and Matt included.
Fortunately for L, by the time, they arrived at Whammy's house, one of the representatives of the local government called him up and he left on official business, leaving all of them the rare opportunity to spend the time on their own.
"Aren't you supposed to go with him?" Raito asked.
"That's Watari's job. It's only the cases I face personally." L explained. "Well, what does Raito-kun want to do, given that I still owe him a lot for this morning?"
It was only after a few hours later that L came to regret asking this question.
"What are we even doing here, anyway?" the impatient blonde Mello asked irritably, and the fact that he was holding a hammer didn't really lighten the mood.
In fact, all of them were holding long hammers. For some reason, all the children gathered outside, holding a hammer each as they stared at a strange substance at the center of the crowd. Some of the boys even suspect that today will be the day L would chose his successor, and they might be required to kill each other in order for the whole selection process to be easier.
However, even L looked confused and turned to Raito for answers.
It was only then that Raito spoke.
"But it really wouldn't be new year if we don't pound mochi together…"
L sighed.
"I never thought that Raito-kun would be into traditions this much."
"Just hurry up and start pounding. You're the head of this family aren't you?"
As Raito explained to the others just what they are about to do, L sighed quietly and started pounding. Eventually, everyone got their turn and the laborious process finished, making everyone tired. As everyone lay exhausted and scattered on the ground, Raito proceeded to prepare dishes using the pounded mochi. Soon, everything was set-up in the table and everyone got their fair share on the fruit of their hard earned labor. In the end, they all enjoyed eating together and even considered doing this activity next year.
"I mean, I can see a ton of benefits from it." Mello went on to explain to his peers. "For one, it satisfies a person's blood lust in wanting to pound a mallet."
"Yeah, it's a real stress reliever," some of the boys agreed.
But even then, L found the initiator of this tradition looking lonely in the corner of the room.
"What is wrong, Raito-kun?"
The teen was silent for a few moments, until he sighed.
"There's still something missing. But I can't figure out what."
"Raito-kun, I've already bought a ton of Japanese food enough to last for a month. What else could be missing?"
The boy shrugged and thought about it for a while. Finally, he spoke.
"I want to call my family."
L blinked, not really expecting this request from the mostly selfish boy. But come to think of it, it's only natural.
"Of course, Raito-kun"
"You really owe us this time, Raito" Mello repeated again as Matt continued to fix the wiring in L's room. Unable to hide his excitement in calling his family, Raito decided to stay in the room and watch as Matt, who was requested specifically by L, to make a fix the video system in L's room, which was only fair. The goggle-wearing teen was the prime suspect for the demise of the communication system anyway. Being the only adult in the house as of the moment, L was busy making sure that everyone is safely in the house and the dishes were clean, so he could not make fixing cables a priority.
Raito remained silent as he eagerly watched Matt do his thing.
"L must really like you a lot, huh?" Mello suddenly decided to use this chance in order to settle his curiosity.
That got his attention.
"Wh-what are you talking about? He's just a sensei…"
"And what does he teach you?" Mello asked mischievously. "And why do you sleep in the same bed with him? Hey, Raito, is he good in bed as well?"
"Sh-shut up! That doesn't involve you!"
"Aha! So you're not denying that you're having sex with him! Well, how often do you do it? Have you started to experiment?"
"Mello!" Matt reprimanded. "Some people are uncomfortable discussing this topic…"
"Aww, but I'm just having fun with him…"Mello reasoned. "Besides, L wouldn't carry him around like a bride if they aren't in a relationship. In fact, this is the first time I've seen L answer to someone's beck and call."
"If they really are in a relationship, then great. I think L really loves him." Matt commented.
Raito blushed.
"Yeah, lucky dog." Mello said in a defeated tone, but suddenly realized what he said. "But anyway, that has nothing to do with me. As long as Raito doesn't use this position to claim the seat of L, then it's fine."
"I assure you, Mello, that he is not a candidate for my successor." L suddenly appeared out of nowhere, making Mello jump. The detective proceeded dutifully to Raito's side and kissed his hand. "However, I will not deny the fact that I am in love with Raito-kun."
"W-wow, th-that's wonderful, L!" Mello laughed nervously. "You two look like a great couple."
"There! I'm done, L. You can use it anytime." Matt spoke just in time to save Mello's ass once again. "Why don't we leave these two alone, honey?"
"O-okay!" Mello allowed himself out of the room.
L hugged Raito as soon as they closed the door.
"They already know!" Raito blurted out nervously. "I never should have allowed you with your PDAs…"
"It's natural that they know, Raito-kun. It was only a matter of time." L hugged him closer. "Besides, they are in for the running to be my successor, so if they didn't notice this, I would have doubts on their abilities."
"It's so embarrassing…"
"You really shouldn't worry about it, Raito-kun. I'll protect you from them if I have to."
"I want to call my family…" the boy was on the verge of tears.
"…if that's what you want, Raito-kun."
L silently dialed the typed the address of the Yagamis and waited for the call to connect. Luckily, it was Sayu who answered the call.
"Oh my God, mom! Raito's on the phone!" Sayu shouted excitedly for the entire household to hear. It took a while for L to catch the young girl's attention.
"I am sorry, Sayu-chan, but can you please open Raito's computer in his room? That way you can talk with Raito-kun face to face."
"Sure thing, L. I'll just call mom and dad…"
A few minutes later, the screen revealed Raito's immaculately clean room straight from Japan. The door opened and an older lady crouched in front of the camera.
"….is this already on? Now where do I…Oh hi, Raito dear! I miss you so much, honey!" came a beaming voice from the other line, straight from the other end of the earth.
"Hi mom."
"Raito! It's really you! I thought you'd never…Oh, but it's really nice to see you again, honey! How are you? I've been thinking a lot about you…."
Raito just smiled and nodded as his mother went on and on giving the most embarrassing questions, as he patiently gave a very safe answer to each of it. After a while, Sachiko moved on to updating him to the current events in Japan, and other ramblings that only a mother would have.
"Oh, and you wouldn't believe it, your father got promoted this month! I'm sure he's excited to talk to you as well. HONEY—" Sachiko called from outside. "Raito's here!"
"I know, Sachiko!" came a gruff voice, with a hint of annoyance. "I'm already climbing the stairs!"
"Well, hurry up! Raito's waiting…"
Heavy footsteps slowly got louder and louder, until the door swung open again revealing his tired looking dad.
"Hello dad."
"Raito." His father greeted wearily. "How are you? Are you continuing your studies there?"
"I have a private tutor", well, technically, he was telling everybody that L was his teacher anyway.
"That's great. Don't let your studies go to waste. You need to be responsible for it."
"I know dad." Raito smiled. "I heard that you got promoted. Congratulations."
"Well, thanks." He muttered, looking down to hide his embarrassment. "Well, truthfully, I've been busier since I got promoted given the recent cases and all, but I'm not required to disclose any information to the public yet. Not even to my family."
"He rarely comes home these days!" his mother complained. "You need to take better care of yourself."
"I have no choice, honey." Souchiro replied. "I've been promoted specifically because of this case because I used to work with L…"
That caught Raito's attention.
"Does that case involve him again?" he suddenly asked.
"I'm not yet sure...but it's hard to make any conclusions as of the moment. But I'm sure you'll be the first to know if that happens."
Well, that's true. In fact, he might even affect the detective's decision somehow. But did he really want to let L leave for the case?
"You really shouldn't worry about it, son. The only thing you have to mind is your health." He said sternly. "At least try to build your body so that you can be stronger. I'm not around to protect you anymore."
"Don't worry dad, I will."
Sometimes, his dad still treats him like a kid.
"Make us proud, son." His father said.
"We love you!" Sachiko added.
Then the screen went blank.
In order to give a little privacy, L left the room as soon as Raito started talking with his family. But without the boy near him, he was forced to remember the problem that he was intentionally ignoring. It bugged him enough that he finally gave up and sneaked into Watari's computer.
The elder man held the portal to L's future cases. They set this up long ago in order for L to only handle the most difficult cases. But that also limited the information that L gets, especially in the initial stages of the case. That was exactly what he was looking for.
He proceeded to hack the computer, but it appears that Watari changed the security system yet again.
"He made it more complicated, didn't he?" came a confident voice from somewhere in the room.
"What are you doing here, Matt?"
The boy shrugged.
"This is my secret lair." He said. "I feel relaxed here"
Apparently, Matt also likes control.
"But you've already hacked into it again, I assume?"
Matt took a gadget from his pocket and typed something.
"I've already sent it to your private mail." He said calmly. "But Watari doesn't need to know that, okay."
"Thank you, Matt."
"Are you considering accepting the case?"
"There is something I have to find out personally." L said. "It's still in its rough stages. It needs a lot of field work just to decide if it's a real case or not. But it's already making the Interpol uneasy. I feel that it is going to be a dragging case."
"What about Raito? Does he already know?" Matt asked curiously.
L sighed.
"The truth is, I don't want to leave him. I am worried about Raito-kun. He is unstable at the moment, and I promised to take care of him. But…if I don't settle this now, it will get much worse and affect us more seriously."
There was a long silence after that. L was really deep in contemplation. Finally, Matt patted his back.
"Look, I may not understand the situation perfectly, but I know that you will be the one to decide what's best for Raito. But you also need to trust him and treat him like an adult now. He is responsible for his own life." Matt pointed out. "Besides, the distance may even make you closer to each other. I leave Mello alone sometimes. It's healthy in relationships."
Another long silence followed.
"You guys will watch him for me, won't you? He's a good kid."
"You don't need to say it."
Raito stared for a few long minutes at the blank screen in front of him. Now he's all alone in this cold room. Or he suspected. There was someone else in the room that was not L.
"Mello" he started to look for something to throw at the boy.
"Hey, easy. I came here to apologize. I got carried away that time" he gave a bar of chocolate as a peace offering. "I'm sorry, Raito."
Raito took the chocolate and relaxed a little.
"I didn't know that you're in a difficult situation. So, do you want to talk?"
The other teen didn't say anything.
"Come on," Mello insisted. "You know what, let's go outside. It's too cooped up here. I'll get our stash of fireworks."
That was when L found them: in heaps of fireworks, casually chatting while lighting another batch. Just then, L wanted to freeze that moment, so that he can be able to see him laugh, but he knew that he could not escape this case forever.
"Raito-kun, we need to talk."
L sat next to him and Mello took his leave, silently saying goodbye to the teen.
"I already know what you're gonna say, L." he started. "You should have told me sooner. These are the things that we need to discuss immediately."
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Raito-kun."
He helped the boy light his firework.
"How do you feel about all of this?" L asked.
They watched the sparkler burn silently.
"I don't want to be the one who will limit you in your work. I know it means a lot to you." He finally said. "I can take care of myself."
L hugged the boy who he knew was trying not to cry.
"I love you more than work, Raito-kun. But I am doing this case for your own protection." He explained. Raito did not say anything.
When all the fireworks were lighted, L threw all of it in a nearby bucket and led Raito to their room. Neither of them said anything.
"Just promise me you'll take care of yourself, L."
The boy suddenly cautioned, to which L responded with a deep kiss.
"I will."
Chapter End