The Taskforce building.
Light stared up at it from the sidewalk, his eyes dark with grievance, provoked by none other than the arrogant, idiotic, sadistic pest known as L.
It wasn't the first time he was here, so he wasn't terribly surprised that the building that L had decided to use as his base seemed to be lacking of the reprehensible grandiose that the reclusive and creature-like detective apparently possessed.
The structure itself looked to be ten stories tall, much like the others around it, made of concrete and glass, looking nothing but ordinary just like everything else. It was to blend in, he presumed, in the quiet area of business that deals mainly with storage and miscellaneous tasks that the main figures and their employees do not bother with. Only the occasional car or truck drove by the roads here, contrasting with the busy streets of Tokyo that remained just a couple blocks away. The faint noise of construction barely disturbed the silence, like a breath upon the unyielding stone.
Even with all its purpose to look inconspicuous, something about the building seemed out of place even in this rural, silent area. The first thing that gave away was the fact that the establishment is featureless and nameless, when everything else around it by convention held a brand or a name. The second is the dark entrance, the tinted glass doors that obscured the happenings on the inside, making it look foreboding.
Light wasn't really bothered by that fact even if it looked more like the case by the minute. Truthfully, he hadn't really wanted to be here in the first place, he had no desire to see the location or L again if there is nothing important for him to attend to.
He was called.
Demanded for, summoned, ordered, take your pick, we all know cordiality is a thing obviously absent within the detective.
The reason he was here was even less appealing, for the last time he had seen L, he was in the campus. He could still recall with clarity the smirk that ran across L's face as he held Misa's phone and told him that she had been captured on the suspicion of being the Second Kira, which means that L is targeting him next with evidence from her.
It was not something that he would worry about, as he'll find his way around it eventually. However, with the addition of a third party such as Misa, his plan was bound to lose some of their certainty, especially when he ran a higher risk of being caught because of her and her ridiculous blunder. He had specifically told her not to come see him during this time. Still, she insisted all because she was that obsessed with him. He didn't think responding just that slightly would have caused such a fervent reaction in her, or that he would forced into it because of that blasted white shinigami that follows her around.
Now he's in this mess all because of those two.
Light made his way towards the building, his face grim. Watari must have seen his arrival, as the door was opened to let him in, revealing the man who nodded at him in greeting. He kept his face devoid of expression as he gave a small bow back, while his thoughts were rampaging, rushing about in a mess of frustration at Misa, anger at L and resentment at Rem.
He was led through the lobby like before, his footsteps echoing off the tiled floor in the deserted room, unlike Watari whose footfalls were silent even with his sleek loafers.
Light followed him into the elevator, walking down the empty hallways and into a room that he hadn't been in before. They were in the basement of the building, where most of the Taskforce had relocated from the sixth floor that held the workroom. The room had dark gray walls and was almost bare except for a few desks, a wall full of monitors and the offending entity that is L who is perched upon a chair and had turned to stare at him like a creature who regards all with condescension. On the largest screen in the center showed footage from a white room that is as bare as the one that everyone else are in, the bright lights in it made the image almost painful to look at. In the middle is a metal board where Misa was strapped against, her movements restrained by black harnesses that ran about her wrists, neck and stomach, that much he could see. Her eyes are covered with a thick blindfold, her pale form shivering in the thin dress that she was put in, the material as colorless as the rest of the room. She was clearly afraid as he could clearly see that her lips were trembling.
"Please, Misa doesn't know anything about this," she cried, her usually perky voice reduced to weak quavering sobs, "Please let Misa go!"
"Ryuuzaki," Light uttered, his voice soft with apprehension, "What is the meaning of this?"
He could see that the others were just as uncomfortable about the sight as he is supposed to be, the most sensitive them all, Matsuda looked down steadfastly at the documents, sieving through them quickly while Aizawa stared grimly at the sight. His father was doing just about the same thing as Matsuda, occasionally glancing at the detective in disapproval.
L stared at him while nibbling on his right thumb. He plucked it away from his mouth and settled his hand on his knee, wiping on it slightly. Light cast a look on it like it might contain all the mysterious illnesses in the world and thought how utterly unhygienic that was.
"We have found several pieces of evidence in her apartment that points her to being the Second Kira," L muttered, "Those are in the tapes that she mailed to Sakura Television, the stamps, paper from the notebook, the ink from the pen that she used, they all matched." He reached over to the bowl beside him and grabbed a red jellybean out of the rainbow colored mess. L tossed it into his mouth and stated with a crunch, "We also found Amane's hair, fingerprints and other things on the second tape, which leads me to believe that she is the Second Kira."
Light watched as she tugged at her restrains with a terrified desperation.
"But is this really necessary?" He stated, as if truly concerned about her (not really, she's just a pawn for him to use).
L studied a lime green jellybean, making a face at it before flinging it into the trash next to him. He grabbed the blue one and bit into it with a crunch, "The Second Kira is able to kill with just a face, I'm just making the necessary precautions."
Light made an effort not to roll his eyes as L stared back at him, the other half of the jellybean peeking out at him as his hand held on to the candy in his mouth.
"Sure," the teen uttered.
A soft whimper was emitted from the monitor as Misa continued to struggle, Light would have ignored it but he had to play the part of a caring boyfriend, so he cast a worried glance at her. Besides, Rem was in the cell right next to the captured model, glaring at him menacingly.
Damn the shinigami, it wasn't like he wanted her to be caught so quickly because of her stupidity, it was a good thing that he took her Death Note before this had happened. The next thing he have to worry about now is that her stupidity might cause her to start talking. And that is when everything about would begin to fall apart.
"Light-kun," L said, his voice slightly muffled as he chewed on the remainder of the blueberry-flavored jellybean. "You are now the prime suspect of the Kira Case."
A loud bang startled the quiet within the room and all turned to the source of it, seeing sheets of paper fluttering about the former Chief's feet.
Soichiro ignored the fallen stack of papers, gaping at L, his face slowly turning red as he burst out, "What? What do you have to accuse my son of being Kira?!"
"Yagami-san," L grumbled around a handful of jellybeans he had stuck into his mouth, "Do you not know that Amane Misa has been coming into contact with your son lately?"
That stumped the older man as he continued to stare, his face slowly paling.
"Since the evidence strongly points to Amane being the Second Kira, her association with him coupled with the timing of the second tape adds on to his suspicion," L swallowed with an audible gulp and took a sip of his sugary tea. "Moreover, your son's profile fitted Kira's the most, it would be natural to think as such."
Soichiro slumped in his chair and ran a hand over his tired face, "I suppose."
"Great, we shall interrogate him soon," L said cheerfully, as he grabbed another handful of candy from the bowl, meticulously picking out the lime ones and tossing them into the trash as he continued, "Is that alright, Light-kun?"
Light tried not to grimace in disgust as the detective cramped the mass of jellybeans into his mouth, turning his face into an unassuming mask as he said, "Of course, Ryuuzaki, I have nothing to hide."
He glanced at the screen, where Rem ran a clawed hand through Misa's hair as she whispered gently, yellow eyes watching him through the camera somehow.
It would be better for him if both of them were gone.
Light wished that he knew how to get rid of a shinigami without repercussion, preferably destroying them completely. His dark eyes shifted onto the girl and he wished that he could kill her as well and make all his problems go away.
Maybe he could use this situation to his advantage.
His gaze turned to L, who stared at him with his all-seeing eyes as he chewed, those coal-black irises always seemed to follow him, and they always seemed to know what he's thinking.
Oh, how he hated that.
'Kill him,' his mind whispered for him.
'Gladly,' he thought.
He felt the darkness within his mind twist into an invisible smile.
Then, it vanished.
It wasn't long that Light found himself back in the same room, eyes downcast and fists clenched tightly by his side, giving off the image of uncertainty and barely restrained desperation.
He sensed confusion in the air, set off by the other occupants in the room who are currently staring at him. The atmosphere seemed interrupted, like they were in the middle of uncovering something strange before he himself had popped up and added more strangeness into the mix.
The screen that had been showing the image from Misa's room constantly had been switched to show the list of criminals that had died recently, all his handiwork.
Light knew the reason, it was because Misa had given up her ownership of the Death Note and now have lost her memories of everything about it.
And soon, he would follow.
That was all according to his plans, his 'girlfriend's' behavior with her missing memories must have thrown them off. By ridding himself of his own memories, he would genuinely believe that he is not Kira and that would put L off his trail, since he is stupidly all-knowing and all. Then he would direct L's attention onto a new target that he had Rem find. L might not believe that he was not Kira but there would be nothing attaching him to that fact and L would eventually have no choice but to let that go.
This could work.
Light smirked, no one was able to see it because it was directed at the floor, hidden behind a curtain of his fringe.
The smile melted off his face and he raised his head, catching the sight of L perched on the chair, fiddling with his lower lip. He went through the motion of taking a breath, "Ryuuzaki…"
"Yes, Light?"
For once, he wasn't seeing L stuffing his face with candy or dessert of any sort, the immediate vicinity seemed to be absent of any form of sugar whatsoever and that included tea or coffee that usually accompanied the members of the Taskforce.
If he were to admit it, the way that L pressed and pulled at his lip with his thumb was really distracting.
It was… unsightly.
Yes.
That's exactly (definitely) the word he's looking for.
Light told himself to stay focused and muttered hesitantly, "I think…"
He faltered, ran a troubled hand through his hair just to show how extremely troubled he is and continued in a voice that gradually fades off towards the end, with a well-placed tone of pained finality, "I think I might be Kira."
Another bang, Soichiro seemed extremely prone to dropping stacks of papers when he's badly startled.
He turned as his father shot up from his seat, face pale as he spluttered, "Light! What are you saying?!"
"Dad," the teen gazed at him as if distressed, "I think I might be going mad. I can't explain it but… I feel like I have been Kira without knowing it. The thing that happened with the FBI agent, Penber… I met him before he died. And about Misa, I got into a relationship with her right around the tape broadcast."
Soichiro spluttered again, although Light wasn't sure whether it was because of his confession or the fact that he got into a relationship with the model – could be both.
L began chewing his thumb, eyes narrowing as he studied his suspect in this new development, wondering what he might be up to.
"If she's the Second Kira," Light muttered, his voice fearful, "It's very likely that I'm the First. But I just…"
He appeared to struggle with his words, his face conflicted as he uttered, "I don't know anything about it. I can't remember anything."
Light's chocolate hued eyes flickered over to L's and watched as he drew a connection between Misa's memory loss and what he is talking about. He resisted the urge to sneer at him and adopted all the innocence that he could muster, all the confusion and pain he could bring onto the image to himself as if he had been considering this line of thought and had been thinking about it for a while.
It had this exact effect on Soichiro, as he fell back onto his chair with a thump, while the others stared at him, speechless.
L tugged his thumb from his lip, wiping it on his jeans as he considered the teen.
"I have observed you, Light," he said slowly, studying his face to see if he could discern anything from it, "That was while you were under surveillance. I have not noticed anything amiss."
Light gasped, willing his face to drain of all color, "You put cameras in my house?"
This incited a wave of discomfort among the others in the room and they didn't dare to look him in the eye, even Soichiro somehow looked guilty about it; Light found that amusing. Only L remained unaffected, he simply eyed him and nibbled on his thumb again, not particularly bothered to clarify or explain himself.
"But Ryuuzaki," Aizawa spoke up, after enduring the awkward silence in the room, "Yagami-kun was not always under surveillance, there were times where he had left the house and were no longer under our observation. He could have easily killed people during those timings."
Light smirked inwardly, looks like the detective's genius was not able to cover the entirety of the issue here.
"That's…" Light tugged on the sleeve of his jacket distractedly, "I think Aizawa-san is right, no one would be watching me during that time, I could've unknowing snuck off and done god-knows-what. "
That shudder at the end was entirely for effect and it worked well on everyone that is not L, he resisted another urge to smirk at him.
Instead, he contemplated L earnestly, with all the honesty that he could muster into his expression, "I might have to be kept under constant observation, so you would know if something is wrong, when I'm not myself. For all I know, I could be killing in my sleep or something and have no memory of it. Just- I can't stand…"
Light broke off in a weak, fumbling voice, he had captured anxiety on his face so well that it should be used as the ideal demonstration for all in the art of deception (he generously called it acting). It wasn't hard to try to guess what he was getting at, as he was the son of Soichiro Yagami, the walking example of purity and true virtue who stood on the side of righteousness and justice.
The entire Taskforce is putty in his hands.
All except L, that is.
The detective scrutinized him disbelievingly, his wide eyes narrowed in the slightest degree as his thumb rested on his lip, one of his front teeth peeking out from under his pale lip and pinching on the pad of the digit. Light found himself wondering had he kept his teeth so white when he cramped himself of sugary sweets all the time, they should be yellowed or rotted even with the knowledge of proper dental care that L shouldn't possess. It probably doesn't smell as good as it looked, he told himself and settled with that.
Light stared back at him, his eyes wide and honest, willing the detective to take up his suggestion.
L pulled his thumb away from his mouth and sighed softly, "Very well, I shall have Light-kun imprisoned along with Amane."
"Ryuuzaki!"
As expected, papers tumbled out of Soichiro's lap yet again as he stood and gaped at the detective, like a startled lion whose slumber had been disturbed by a lowly predator, "You can't just agree to put my son under confinement!"
"I find it completely reasonable."
"But-!"
"He asked for it."
"L!"
"Dad," Light called, catching the attention of the flustered man, "Please, I can't live with the fear that I might be Kira without me knowing, I have to do this."
"But Light…" Soichiro looked dismayed, almost shattered, the worst that Light had ever seen him.
"Weren't you the one who taught me that justice is above everything?" Light pressed as much as he dared, gently, without ruining the image of the good and just and undisputedly perfect son, "Everyone of us serves the system and we can't be selfish, we have to give away parts of ourselves for the sake of the others and fulfill our designated duties. I am your son, Dad, and my purpose is to stand with justice and carry it out to protect the innocent. I can't be protecting the innocent if I myself have doubts about my own behavior."
Light stared at his father intently, and stated softly his line that is the clincher, "So Dad, please, let me."
His father looked torn with despair, his tired eyes gazing at his beloved son's face. He collapsed blankly into his chair with a loud creak, looking akin to a limp sack of flour to Light.
L watched this interaction with mild interest, while Matsuda stood awkwardly to the side, having gotten up when Soichiro looked as if he would pass out. He then proceeded to flit about between them to gather up the fallen papers while muttering quick apologies to the older man and his son.
The detective swiveled around in the chair and pressed a button on the microphone on his desk, "Watari, please make the arrangements, thank you."
He played with his lower lip for a few seconds, almost distractedly, before turning to face the crestfallen man, "Yagami-san?"
Soichiro tilted his head to peer at him with weary eyes, "What?"
"You are required to provide a cover story for Light-kun's absence," L said, "I find that the one with you finding Light-kun in a relationship with Amane and disowning him out of disapproval is the best choice."
Soichiro began to glare at him wordlessly.
"That's just a suggestion," L muttered, turning to face the monitors, "Watari will bring Light-kun to the cell in about fifteen minutes, so please get ready."
Light let a weak smile grace his face, appearing apprehensive and relieved at the same time, "Thanks, Ryuuzaki."
There goes the second phase of his plan. Perfect, he thought to himself darkly, his almost-black eyes glinting as it reflected the light of the screens and L's silhouette as he stared at the back of the detective's head, finding himself imaging what it would look like, bloodied and battered, lolling back on his neck before his entire body falls out of the chair.
L seemed to have sensed his thoughts, turning around to peer at him with such an intensity that he thought the coal black eyes were going to burst into flames at any moment. Light looked startled, before returning the stare with a weak smile. The raven-haired man narrowed his eyes clearly for the first time and returned to what he was doing.
The smile slowly curved into a smirk at how the detective knew and didn't know so many things at the same time, all because he wasn't able to catch him.
That satisfied him, as well as the fact that he is one more step closer to L's death.
Seventy-two hours later, Light found himself seated against the cot in his cell, wrists bound together behind him by steel handcuffs. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants, looking quite the part of a captured convict.
Only three days have passed since he came under confinement and already, he's getting tired of this.
How far he had fallen, from the judge that dishes out the punishment of death onto hardened criminals became the very image of a convict himself, trapped in captivity at the mercy of the authorities, even if it's just L. Actually, the detective is above every form of authority ever known to the world justice system, so that counts.
Light grumbled at the senseless thoughts and sighed.
He was uncomfortable, his arms ached, his back ached, he's tired and he sort of needed to go. His ass is sore from sitting on the hard ground all day and sitting on the cot makes no difference as they were both rock solid. Light didn't think he would resort to lying on the ground or the bed anytime soon, he still have his dignity to keep, at least until his body couldn't stand it anymore.
His knees had been drawn up to his chest for at least an hour now so his heels are beginning to become sore as well. He shifted into a different position and instantly felt better, even if it was just slightly. Light can't imagine having to stay in this godforsaken room until his stand-in appears or until L thinks that he can't uncover any more information from confining him within this room.
All that depends on the speed where Rem finds this new 'Kira' for him to even have a shot at getting out of here. He knew, well, expected L to be stubborn and cage him for longer than was effective so it might take much longer.
The other shinigami whining in the corner of the room is not helping.
L must've seen the annoyed frown on his face as a click echoed from the speaker and the deadpan tone filled the room, "May I know what you are thinking, Light-kun?"
No, you may not, Light thought indignantly, slowly easing his expression as Ryuk lamented loudly about apples and pretzels.
He ignored the question and raised his head, put on his innocent face and asked, "What's happening out there, Ryuuzaki?"
"The criminals have stopped dying."
L's answer was immediate, as if the detective was challenging him about the undeniable fact and that he should just confess now.
No way in hell, idiot.
"I see…" Light muttered, his voice weak as he caught a breath, "That just means…"
"Are you confessing?" L's voice bordered on demanding and Light stifled a chuckle.
"No… I can't," Light stated meekly, his gaze lowered to the floor, staring at his pale toes. "How can I possibly confess when I don't remember doing anything wrong, or even being Kira? The fact that they have stopped dying is not going to be a strong enough prove, it would be much better to catch me in the act than to rely on that."
There was a long pause, before another click sounded.
"As expected, Light-kun is extremely stubborn."
Light's head snapped up, his eyes wide as he gawked at the camera, as if appalled, "I'm not Kira!"
Another pause, before L blandly stated, "We'll see about that," and left him in silence.
Asshole, Light shot back in his mind, knees curling into himself in a display of torment.
He gave up the act after a while, it's rather pointless and taxing on his muscles as he leaned his head against the cot, staring at the ceiling lamp.
Any day now, Rem.
Three days became five, and five became ten and L found himself feeling almost as tired as the figures on the screen.
L had been seated in front of the wall of monitors for the most part, leaving only to use the bathroom and squeezed in about two showers, that was all. He ate and drank on the same chair and as for sleeping, about three hours of napping were done at a time in the same exact position, he probably moved even less than Light did in the cell, taking his eyes off the screen for barely a second once in a while.
Currently, the detective had seated in the same crouch for more than three hours, deftly licking the last few drops of ice-cream off his spoon while his large eyes stayed glued to the screens.
The first largest screen showed Amane from the front, her head drooping to the side as she tried to sleep. Spending all day in the cell fastened to the board blindfolded and ignorant of the time have evidently messed up her body clock, especially when the blonde had been barely able to sleep in her first few days of confinement. To the left of that are four smaller monitors, showing different angles from the cell that switches every ten seconds.
The screen in the middle showed Soichiro, who had requested to be confined along with his son. L had found the idea absurd that one would willingly allow themselves to suffer when someone they love is suffering. But he supposed if Soichiro said that he was also doing it to avoid interfering with the investigation because of his feelings, he would allow it.
That monitor was the only one showing the former police chief, there wasn't actually a need to keep an eye on him as much as Light and Amane.
The remaining screens to the far right showed Light, sitting in the same position against the cot at the same timings for ten days in a row. Compared to the model, Light's internal clock was extremely precise, even if he didn't actually know what time it is. Sure, Watari's visits to deliver meals might have helped but Light's timing is just inhumanly accurate. L had quite obviously taken note of Light's everyday routine over the last ten days.
First, he would wake up in the morning at six-thirty exactly and take care of his bathroom needs, aided by the elderly gentlemen since his hands are bound (he was quite reluctant in the first two days). He would return to sit on the cot until Watari came back with his breakfast at seven which was finished and cleared around seven-thirty. From then until ten, he would be sitting against the bed in this exact position, shifting every once in a while when his limbs began to fall asleep. At 10:00 exactly, he gets up and paces around the cell. At noon, he would eat lunch that Watari brings in. He also takes the opportunity to use the toilet and return to sit on the bed until four in the afternoon. At four, he begins to glare at the front camera pointedly, which was occasionally done during the other times but they were not as obvious as in that instant. At six, Watari brings in his dinner and Light ate, went to the bathroom before returning to this one position. He gets up at eight to lie on the thin mattress. L could tell that he wasn't asleep because his eyes were open. When they weren't, L relies on listening to his breathing pattern. At about ten, he falls asleep.
It certainly sounds boring, having to watch someone in similar positions over a long stretch of time but L was trained to do this sort of things and pick up slight changes around a person where others could not tell. Whenever Light sits down in his spot, his eyes would go blank, as if dazed but L could practically see the gears turning in his head. Well, what else is one supposed to do with nothing in a cell such as this, other than thinking. L knew that Light is up to something, if he is Kira, he would have already planned something in advance.
If not, why would he willingly let himself be watched around the clock like this?
The detective felt it had something to do with Amane's apparent memory loss, perhaps one of Kira's ability was to transfer their consciousness onto another like some sort of otherworldly entity? He had heard of strange things like this happening and the human world is still fumbling to explain this. Perhaps Light is one of Kira's host which he consciously had control over and is moving it onto another person to try and skirt around him.
However, he might have to consider the possibility that Light is actually innocent.
What if it was just like he had said, that something strange is happening to him that he was not aware of and was seeking help? If Kira is an entity that can be moved onto different people, then maybe it could also have a mind of its own and control their hosts instead. If so, would Kira actually be possible to capture and destroy?
L had been watching, he had seen the instances where in the long stretch of doing nothing but thinking, Light's expressions switches quickly between dazed and annoyance, as if something in the room was disturbing him. There was conscious effort where Light's expression turns blank and L deduces that whatever that he appears to be aware of is entirely invisible, no one else had seen anything amiss within that room. Unless the changes were due to his thoughts, it could hint to the presence of an unseen creature, maybe even Kira itself.
L would have to expect the scenario in which Light would lose his memories like Misa in the near future.
He chewed on the spoon in frustration until the metal felt unpleasant on his teeth. He left the spoon in the sundae glass and stared hard at the three figures on the screen, where exhaustion had caught onto Light and made his head droop.
There was no way to know which of these possibilities are true without further observation so L kept watching. He watched until the teen eventually dozed off, a first in ten days. Still, he watched, waiting for a sign to appear.
In another three days, Light's memories will disappear, along with the darkness that were in his eyes.
Edited: 13/10/17
A/N: ... Gosh I hate school. Anyway, yeah the chapter is longer now, I upgraded L from eating one jelly bean at a time into eating a handful at a time, character elaboration and other things... My favorite part in here is actually L just deadpanning "He asked for it." XD Well, he literally asked for it.
Thank god for the approaching weekend, I need it. (SOB)