CHAPTER 24
Light glanced back and forth to the expressionless detective and the shut door ahead of the two of them.
L had been staring at the door with that blank face for a good two minutes now.
Deciding to not waste any more precious time with the serial killer on the loose, the brunette cleared his throat and said, "So, are we going in or not?"
His dark orbs flickered to his slightly annoyed partner and he muttered under his breath, "Apologies. I believe, a wave of nostalgia just struck me."
"Down memory lane, huh?" He scratched his brown locks and peered around the seemingly abandoned house. "Well, I got to say, it looks like it's been vacant for awhile."
"That's understandable," L murmured, gnawing on his thumb, lost in his storm of ancient memories, "once they figured out the location of Wammy's House, it would be deemed no longer safe. They needed to relocate somewhere else to ensure the safety of my potential successors."
"Yeah, of course," he replied then switched back to the topic at hand, "as I said earlier, are we going in now or simply going to continue to dwell in the past?"
L let out a small sigh then slowly turned the door knob, pushing it inwards precariously.
The door made an eerie creaky noise before revealing the interior.
Cobwebs decorated the main room and a thick layer of dust covered the tables and window sills. Despite how old it looked, the place managed to still maintain a clean and tidy look. It was a strange clash; old yet clean. Naturally, one would expect an abandoned place to be messy as well. Perhaps Mello or Near or one of the successors had a case of OCD for all Light knew. A picture frame covered in dust piqued Light's interest and he walked towards it, wanting to further inspect it.
Out of the blue, L caught his wrist and yanked him back.
"Don't. There is a high possibility that the house is still rigged."
He arched an eyebrow then brushed his hand off. "Oh, why am I not surprised?"
"That picture is old anyway," his eyes lingered on the picture, "it was taken before coloured photos were invented and released for public use."
"I see. Are you a child in it?"
". . . I think I was 8 years old at the time."
"Huh. Maybe even you, an insomniac perverted creep, used to be a cute kid."
"Whether I was 'cute' or not, depends on one's definition of it."
"True. Anyway, we came here for a purpose and not to merely talk about your past," Light looked around the place, searching for any lead hints on the whereabouts of Beyond Birthday.
"He's not that stupid, Light-kun," he chuckled bitterly, "the clues won't be in this room. That's an affirmative."
"Then where?"
"Probably one of the bedrooms or the library," L deduced, staring off into space, "Beyond often went to places like that a long time ago."
"I see. Off to the library to start then?"
He curtly nodded then lazily pointed towards the door on the far left. "That was where the library was located the last time I entered this place."
"And how long was that? Surely, not that long."
"Around a decade. Give or take a year."
Light's eyes widened. "So, you moved out as a teen?"
"Not by choice," L muttered.
He sensed something shift in his attitude and decided silence was the safest option to go with as they strolled to the library.
A/N: I'M ALIVE! Sorry for being on hiatus for nearly half a year- ugh, I'm terrible, I know- anyway, this is sort of short and sweet because I need to plan the rest before I write more. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I love hearing what you guys have to think. ^^