A/N: Hello! I know, its been nearly two years and I cannot say how sorry I am. This chapter has actually been written for a REALLY LONG TIME, but I just now thought about typing it up. I've been really busy these past years. Soooooo, I really hope you guys enjoy the new chapter of Vacancy! Now, back to FF13.

Note! - Fag means cigarette over in England.

Oh, and SUPER IMPORTANT - I use somewhat rude language in this chapter. I apologize in advance.

Disclaimer! - I don't own Deathnote. I only make money from my job at Taco Bell, calling people dumbasses behind their backs after I take their order. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Vacancy

Chapter Seven

Roaches

.*.

At exactly 8:43:17am, a woman announced that flight 295, London bound, had arrived and was ready to be boarded. Watari had gotten the task force tickets for a first class flight which held only 52 passengers. All 52 seats were taken, purchased with the money from L's seemingly bottomless bank account. While the rest of the task force packed multiple suit cases, L's simply carried a bag containing two sweaters, two pairs of pants, two pairs of boxers, a pair of sneakers, and a laptop under his arm.

They were, by far, an interesting group and received many odd looks as they made way to the docking area. Who would've guessed that among the group walked Kira and L, the world's greatest detective?

When they boarded the plane, Raito found a seat next to a window towards the back. Watari had taken his things and put them in the storage area. His eyes rested on the window, watching busy families and businessmen run across the port. A little girl in yellow attracted his attention and Raito wasn't surprised. Of all the colors, yellow was proven to catch your eye faster than any other. The girl's parents were tugging at her hands as they walked quickly to their flight, forcing her to run. There was a stuffed animal panda peeking its head out of the bag on the girl's back. Raito watched as the toy slowly eased itself out of the bag. It was going to fall onto the hot and unforgiving asphalt, he knew it. It wouldn't be long now . . .

And as predicted, the panda fell to the ground, landing face down as the girl continued to run alongside her parents. She hadn't noticed the shift in weight; the panda was going to be left behind. Raito heard Watari (who was going to pilot the plane) say over the intercom they were about to take off. He got out of his seat and nearly ran down the aisle, shoving passed whoever got in his way and eyes glued to the stuffed toy. His father called out to him as he quickly walked down the steps out of the plane and ran to the panda. He picked it up with a strong grip around the back of its neck and looked at its face.

Its eyes were large black glass beads and Raito couldn't explain what he felt when he looked into those eyes. They were vacant, deep, and staring straight into his soul, as if the lifeless toy knew who he was. That he was Kira. That he was a god. Those were L's eyes. For a moment, Raito felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him before he shook his head and looked for the girl. Her yellow summer dress stood out and Raito ran to her.

"You! Little girl in the yellow!" he called, why in English he wasn't sure, but hopefully she understood.

The girl's mother turned, looked at him, then said things to her daughter Raito couldn't hear. He was met halfway in his running by the girl and now that they were closer he was glad he hadn't called out to her in Japanese. Raito could tell she wasn't of orient descent. The panda went from his hand to both of hers and her face lit up in joy.

"Grazie!" she exclaimed then quickly hugging Raito's thighs before running off.

With that settled, Raito began his mini-trek back to the plane at a jog. He looked at the windows and found someone to be watching. It was no surprise, Raito had learned by now to always be cautious of L's ever present eyes. When he boarded the plane, he challenged that stilling stare with one of his own. No one asked why Raito left so he assumed L had told them, especially when he received a pat on the shoulder from Soichiro.

He resumed his place in the back of the aisle and wasn't surprised when L took the seat next to him. L began to pointlessly rant about the Kira case, which Raito knew was just a front. So he played along, new schemes already forming in his mind about what to do with Nate River. He remembered L's threat but quickly shrugged it off. There was a feeling in his gut that told him when they arrived to Wammy's House, L's threat would be the least of his fears.

.*.

Raito stared listlessly out the limousine window as the country-side scenery rolled out along endless hills. Yes, he was excited but the flight and long car ride had dulled it. L was biting at his thumb as always to the right of him and Raito would occasionally glance at the detective. Soon, he would be meeting Nate and Raito's paranoia had made him practice meeting the boy. He'd lost count of how many times the imagined scenario had played through his mind

Nate River, German, Age 12.

He sighed and leaned further back into the leather cushioned seats. His unfocused eyes watched the slowly changing landscape go by, thinking about River. He recalled that white unruly hair that was so much like L's, those onyx eyes there were so similar to L's. In the portrait, River's gaze was sharp and analytical. And suddenly L's words struck him.

"He feels nothing. He is arrogant. He could throw life away, very much like you, but very different at the same time."

The idea that he, Kira, was in any way like River was outrageous. Raito was a God. Nate was some German punk-ass with a large brain. How dare L even think similarities existed between him and that . . . boy.

"Raito-kun, are you alright?"

Said man snapped out of his thoughts and looked to L who stared back.

"I'm fine."

"Really?" L pushed. "Then I suggest you release your grip before your trousers tear."

Raito blinked then looked down to find his hands fisting his slacks at his thighs. He let go and the blood came rushing through his white knuckles. His fingers became sore when he curled them and his eyes fell back onto L.

"How much longer?"

"Approximately 3.7 minutes."

"Thank God," Raito sighed, beginning to slouch.

"Yes, Raito . . ." the detective glanced at he soundproof divider between them and Watari, then returned his gaze. "Thank you, God."

Hearing L say that would've made Raito ecstatic if it weren't for the heavy amount of sarcasm only Raito could recognize. He merely rolled his eyes, crossed his legs and arms, and looked out the window. There was a shuffle against the leather and Raito knew L was moving closer.

"It was joke," he said bluntly.

"I know," Raito replied.

"Jokes are usually funny, and I do believe you are required to laugh, whether you were the 'butt' of it or not." L was biting his thumb still, a smile playing at his lips. He was close enough to touch.

"Shut up."

After seeing the curtains along the window in the divider, Raito grabbed the collar of L's always white shirt and crushed their lips together. He wondered briefly if Watari knew about what they have been doing. If he knew because he caught them himself, or if L told him. His stomach churned at the idea and Raito simply let his eyes fall into L's as the limousine pulled onto a gravel, but even, driveway. The rocks made crunching sounds under the tires and it wasn't until Raito felt the slight jerk of the car being put into "Park" he pulled away from L. Who still wore a smile on his lips.

"We're here, Raito-kun," his voice mildly excited. "Do you know what that means?"

He frowned. "What?"

"You have to tell me how you kill."

The air about them suddenly stood still and the growing silence became heavy. Neither one moved when Watari opened L's passenger door. They didn't speak then they finally stepped out of the car, Raito stretching his muscles as Kira screamed frantically inside his brain. Yes, that was why they were here in the far outskirts of London. It was the only gambling chip he had that L wanted. He was so desperate to meet Nate River he bribed L with the Deathnote. Instead of figuring out how he was going to handle showing L the notebook, he was too busy thinking about how to control his encounter with Nate.

And L was no fool; he could sense Raito's sudden dread. The detective would have to be more alert than ever with Raito and be cautious of any scheme that could be forming in Raito's mind. The sound of children playing tickled at his ear drums until they turned into shocked and excited screams. Roger must have told them that he had arrived and surely a stampede was headed this way. He sighed and bit at his thumb as he braced himself for the immature geniuses.

The first to come running around the corner of the house was none other than Mihael Keehl, followed by his sidekick Mail, and then a cluster of children so tightly knit it was impossible to recognize anymore faces. He glanced to Raito who had seemed to take base behind the limousine where no children could run into him. The look on his face was surprised.

"Holy crap, L."

L kept his lips flat line and in a few seconds Mihael . . . Mello had reached him, his blonde hair sticking a little to his sweaty face. Mail, or Matt, nearly ran into his friend, and by the looks of it, said a curse under his breath. It took a couple of moments for the rest of the kids to join Matt and Mello, and L stayed silent until they had all caught their breaths. Soon, he was surrounded by insistent questions and curious eyes, his only protector against groping hands Mello's violent eyes.

"Shut up!" Mello nearly screamed. When they fell silent, the boy continued. "L . . . I, uh, I got my IQ scores back again. It still hasn't gone up." His hands fisted at his sides.

"Your IQ can only increase or decrease by a few points during your lifetime." L bit his thumb.

"But how am I supposed to beat Near?"

Even a deaf person could hear the growing hostility in Mello's voice.

"Why not try working with Near instead? Oh . . ." L turned to Raito who hadn't moved from his spot, "everyone, this is my good friend, Yagami Raito. He is helping me with the Kira case." When he looked back to the children his eyes caught a menacing look. "I trust him."

In unison, the little geniuses were awestruck. L motioned for Raito to stand next to him, and although a little hesitant, he complied. He watched as Kira slowly melted, running off of Raito and into and imaginary puddle of evil. The cunning and almost devilish gleam in his eyes were blinked away and a soon-to-be smile readied itself along his lips. While Raito stood next to L, Kira stayed behind the limousine. The teen waved to the children, a friendly look on his face as he greeted them. Questioning eyes, including Mello's, fell onto Raito's frame, assessing him with the tactics taught to them at Wammy's House.

Roger called out to the children and they all groaned and walked away. That is, all except Mello who held his ground. Although the blonde knew nothing about Raito, it was obvious he was suspicious. It wasn't until L stared at him, challenging Mello to question his judgment that he walked away, then running to catch up with Matt. Raito sighed loudly when the blonde boy rounded the corner, tugging lightly at the collar of his shirt.

"It's a little warm, how can you wear all that?" Raito asked, glancing at Watari who walked inside the house then to L. He grinned mischievously but his gesture was returned with a frown.

"Raito-kun, if you're thinking what I believe you are . . ."

"And could you blame me?" The distance between them vanished. "After all, I'm still a teenager. Cut me some slack?'

L found himself being pressed against the limousine, Raito in front of him and supplying no escape. Teeth had their way with his neck and L had to grip his attacker's shoulders to maintain his balance, despite leaned against the car. His head tilted back, giving Raito more skin to claim for what has felt like the millionth time. Eyes to the sky he saw that not a single cloud hung there, just boundless, seemingly endless blue plains that made up the troposphere. He breathed heavily and noticed little tuffs of Raito's hair move, it was then he realized he didn't want this.

Not now.

Not here.

The hands L had on Raito began to push and the mouth at his neck growled. Instead of this being a simple and somewhat sexual encounter, it turned into a battle for dominance. L moved his grasp to the front of Raito's shirt and with shocking strength flipped their positions, quickly catching Raito's hands and pinning them at his sides. The teen snarled as his power was rivaled, scowling and looking into L's eyes. The expression Raito so blatantly wore amused L and he couldn't help but crack an oh-so-very-L smile. His eyes flared in curiosity as Raito's own lit up in wrath.

Wait . . . there was something in those eyes. L leaned closer to Raito's face, determined to cipher the emotion held in those brown eyes. And there it was; something L knew lay inside of Raito's heart all along. Not only was Kira in them, but also the raging fire of hatred. Which was amusing since the flamed of that fire was fanned when L assumed dominance. The idea tickled at his insides and he skillfully bound both of Raito's hands in one of his own, pulling them behind the teen's back and onto the hood of the car. Such a position was most definitely painful but L knew Raito wouldn't utter a sound that hinted it to be true.

With his free hand, L hooked his fingers around one of the belt loops of Raito's pants then he pulled, grinding their hips together. Raito, of course, bit his lip to help keep silent, for his pride wouldn't dare let him enjoy this. L wondered how far he could take this before Raito reached his limit. He wasn't in the mood for sex, but he was letting his curiosity take the reins.

"What's the matter, Raito-kun?"

"Get off me."

"Hmm, I don't think I will." He experimentally nipped at the teen's neck. "So, you don't like to be dominated. It makes sense, due to Kira wanting to dominate the world with his ludicrous ideals."

His free hand traveled up along the button's of Raito's shirt, fingers poking inside the collar. A cool breeze hit the both of them and off in the distance the could hear the children of Wammy's Hosue playing. L brought his moth to Raito's ear and whispered.

"Do you know what its like; always being alongside you . . . knowing who you are?" In seconds, the mood in the air was completely changed. "I can't turn you in, I can't even enjoy chasing you from crime to crime. No matter what happens, I know you'll eventually kill me.

"It's as if you constantly have me by the throat," and L's hand gently wrapped itself around Raito's neck. The teen tensed slightly against him and L felt his own pulse hastened. "Would you be able to live like that, Raito-kun?"

All at once, L removed himself from Raito. The looked at each other for a long moment. L had given Kira everything he needed to know to prevent doom. His own name and the names of the top students at Wammy's House . . . yes, he had a system set in case something happened to him. Yes, he had valuable information readied to be released when he died. Still, no matter how he looked at it, Kira had won. As L walked away and towards Wammy's House, he felt a surge of depression overcome him.

.*.

"I don't like him."

Matt didn't even bother to look up to his friend. His handheld game proved itself to be much more interesting.

"What does L see in him, anyway?" Mello continued to rant. "He's just some small dick Japanese . . . I can't believe L actually brought him here." He sat angrily against a stack of boxes.

"Hey, I got a better idea."

"What?"

"Why the fuck are we in a shed, Mello?"

Indeed, the two geniuses were in a shed, the only light coming from Matt's handheld.

"Because that bastard Near won't be able to find us here," Mello replied as if he were just asked if the sky were blue.

Matt sighed and pulled his goggles down around his neck. As if Near would waste his time looking for them, but Matt kept silent. He knew far better than to argue with Mello. Now playing one-handed, the redhead dug into his pants pocket for one of the smoke he snatched. He offered one to Mello, who hastily grabbed it and placed it in his mouth. Once Matt lit it for him, he took a long drag. The redhead did the same and exhaled through his nose, relishing the burn that ate at the insides of his nostrils. They sat in silence; Mello puffing angrily at his cigarette and Matt tapping away on his toy.

Mello's brain was swimming in a tsunami of questions. Why was Yagami here, and how on earth could L call someone a good friend? L was a master of judgment and was a tad paranoid, which made it hard to believe that Yagami hadn't already fled from possible accusations. Yet, when L introduced the Japanese man to the children, his tone sounded almost . . . protective. And threatening to those who dared to hold doubt, so Mello thought long and hard.

Why does L want to protect Yagami Raito?

"Hey, you're gonna smoke some filter soon."

As if waking from a dream, Mello shook his head, dropped his cigarette and crushed it. He looked to Matt, who was still playing his games. After a moment, Mello pulled roughly on the orange goggles, surprising Matt enough to drop his handheld. The redhead cursed loudly when everything when black except for the ember on his fag, knowing his game was broken.

"Matt, you protect me, right?"

Said boy looked confused in his already angered state.

"You lie for me and don't rat me out - why?" Mello asked, almost as if musing to himself.

"Cuz you'd get mad and beat the shit out of me."

"Well, lets ignore the me kicking your ass part."

"Hm . . . " Matt said thoughtfully. "Cuz we're friends?"

"Try again."

"Goddammit, Mello! Are you fucking quizzing me or what?" Mat spat out his cigarette and left it burning on the floor. "Cuz I'm just as guilty? Cuz I know you've done something wrong . . ."

"Yes!" Mello said triumphantly. "Because you know I've done something wrong." He pulled harder on the goggles, bringing the faces closer, the burning out ember on the ground barely lighting them. "Now, how likely do you think it is that L is protecting Yagami for that very reason?'

"Shit, you really don't think . . ."

"Shut up!" Mello interrupted. "Yagami must be Kira!"

Silence hung in the air for a moment, Matt's cigarette going out. It stayed for a couple more seconds before laughter broke out.

It was Matt.

"HAHAHA! So just because L is supposedly 'protecting' that Japanese, it means the bastard is Kira?" he asked, joking tone in his voice. "Wow, Mello, you're getting pretty fucked up in the head."

"Am I? Am I?" Mello was about to strangle him. "It makes perfect sense!"

Matt scoffed. "Yeah, but you forgot the whole idea that if you're right, L brought Kira here."

They were still in the shed, in the dark, puffing at another cigarette while Matt tried to fix his broken toy. It was no use, the flip open screen snapped off and he knew super glue wasn't going to fix it. They talked more about the idea of Yagami Raito being Kira, debating for hours on end until they both decided on a bet. Mello would have until L left to prove Yagami to be Kira. If Mello won, Matt would have to go steal as many chocolate bars and fags as much as the blonde wanted - no complaints. If Mello failed, he would have to publicly admit that Near was better than him in every way; even if the bastard could barely walk.

With a handshake, the bet was on. Mello wasted no time running to Roger's office, the sun beginning to set in the sky. He rummaged through the desk, thankful that its owner was no where to be seen and found a tape recorder. He easily hid the microphone on his black shirt and pocketed the recorder. Then, he ran to the kitchen, grabbed three chocolate bars, and ran down the hall. Pass the pictures Linda had drawn and pass the doorways and adjourning hallways, Mello searched for L's room.

.*.


A/N: Alright, so that's that. I've introduced the boys. Oh, goodness, what will happen now? I don't know, this story kinda writes itself

And I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT GIANT CHUNK OF DIALOGUE! I personally hate it when other people do it. Guh, it just seemed kinda hard to be describing stuff when they're in a shed talking.

I have a serious question - Should I make Mello and Matt gay for each other? If you choose to answer, give a valid reason and not something like "THEY SO HOT, DO IT PLZ". I've been considering it for a while, but I'm afraid it might be too much.

I really hope you guys like where this is going, if not, please let me know with a review or something. Thanks!