Arrow: I thought long and hard and finally decided to add a bit of punch to this story, more than I intended too. I'm happy for the feedback and the readers I have for this, it makes me want to continue!
Bittersweet is the word for the day.
Now read!
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'On my knees
Dim lighted room
Thoughts free flow try to consume myself in this
I'm not faithless
Just paranoid of getting lost or that I might lose
Ignorance is bliss cherish it
Pretty neighborhoods you learn to much to hold
Believe it not
And fight the tears
With pretty smiles and lies about the times'
-So I thought, Flyleaf
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'A y e a r goes by…'
'…and I…'
'… can't talk about it.'
Time.
It meant a little less then the four letters used to identify such a glorious and complicated situation which each person was forced to be put through. For some days felt like years, minutes like hours, seconds like centuries. For others….
… time moved too fast for words. Even the simple act of shutting ones eyes seemed too much time to sacrifice when there were so many seconds ticking away.
"Ryuuzaki."
Clickclickclickclick
"Ryuuzaki."
Click.
"Hm?"
"It's snowing."
Large white drops flittered slowly about outside the dusted window, several twirling about in their wind swept dance and fashioning themselves against the glass before melting away, leaving only a small trickle of water. Light tried to watch each one in turn but there were too many and the glass was becoming far too foggy to see anything, especially down in the decorated street.
London was more beautiful than he had expected.
"You're twenty years old Light-kun, I think staring out the window at snow drops is a bit irrelevant for someone of your age." Ryuuzaki commented from his spot at the desk near the back, a collection of books, wrappers, tissues, and dining utensils surrounding the laptop he clung to with eyes so black whatever shine they had possessed years ago had vanished amidst the work and happiness he managed to balance.
"I just wanted to see who's outside already," Light frowned, his mouth trained to react to the detectives comments. "Are you saying that I don't act my age?"
"Ask in English Light-kun."
"But-"
"In English." Ryuuzaki pointed to the collection of books and papers scattered about the bed on which Light sat, the work clearly incomplete. "Ask me."
The mans eyes darkened with a color blended from a mixture of patience and aggravation but he chose not to argue in light of the holiday; Ryuuzaki however didn't hold such respect for the last day of the year.
"Are you… are you saying that I don't… act my age?" he processed slowly, like student struggling to read allowed. The detective nodded and busied himself with the wrapper of an un-opened Kit-Kat bar but his eyes held Light in place with the strictness of a mentor.
"Now what is possibly wrong with that sentence?" he asked, smirking.
"Ryuuzaki!"
"Learn your mistakes now Light-kun and you won't make them in the future." the detective stated with a tone that made the other want to shove his pencil down his throat. He really was unbelievable…
"For starters, you wouldn't use the word 'saying' in that sentence, the proper term would be 'suggesting."
Light shut his books and shoved them to the end of his bed. "Why does it matter? You're the only one I talk too."
"Well if you ever want to make friends…"
"Not when we keep moving around from place to place every month." he muttered sourly and he could tell Ryuuzaki felt the bitterness in his words.
For once he fell silent.
"… It's nice here." was the detectives only response, his voice toneless and vacant- a belle without a ring.
It really was… he had wanted to bring him here since the beginning…
Japan no longer held anything for them.
And it hadn't for three long years…
"Kiss me."
The English caused him to look up, staring at Light where he sat positioned against the backboard of the bed, head tilted and hair draped across his golden face.
Chocolate cream eyes… eyes which had once been…
Light shifted in his spot and his lower lip jutted out ever so slightly.
"Please kiss me."
He couldn't refuse- never once had Ryuuzaki refused him. The unsteady beat of his heart when he neared close was enough of a sign that Light meant more to him than the sky and all the Earths wonders.
But the steps he took to reach him…
He could feel it as he moved; the strain… he burden L was given in order to keep the remaining strands tied tightly together to that nothing, not even death could break them.
Yes…
L had made sure of it.
"That wasn't part of the lesson," he murmured but fell silent against the lips which captured his so delicately that he couldn't help but touch him, his tongue meeting his with a quiet moan. Ryuuzaki's hands tangled in Lights chestnut hair possessively and with such feeling that if he had pulled such a stunt several years ago, Light would have pushed him away for giving him false hope.
But Ryuuzaki had a right to be possessive.
Light was his… he had paid enough for it.
Enough so far at least.
"Do you want to go out?" Light breathed as he pulled away, face slightly flushed with scarlet.
The detectives eyes swiveled to the window, blank and open but hiding a fear not even Light had the skill of deciphering. The snow was falling heavier now…
Lights hand grabbed his and the fear fled away in a heartbeat, replaced with the walls he kept up only enough to stop the man from worrying.
"You don't have to if your not feeling well," Light mumbled though he was eyeing his scarf draped across the chair near the door with hope. "I know the Doctor said it's not a good idea-"
"My Doctor knows little about the person I am." Ryuuzaki smiled grimly; he walked across the room and led Light by the hand, handing him his scarf with pale hands. The Doctor had said many things which forced Ryuuzaki to bite his tongue but he didn't want to think about that now. His health issues were temporary…
… for the moment.
"Are you sure?" Light took the scarf from him and draped it across his neck, reaching for Ryuuzaki's jacket and handed it over to him, his eyes full of concern. "we could watch the fireworks from the window."
The detective silence him with a kiss and Light couldn't help but notice the coldness coating his skin, making him shiver; the heat was on in the room and still his partner was frigid from head to toe but he never showed it.
"Don't worry about me Light-kun, I'm fully capable of walking about town. The Doctor doesn't know what kind of work me and you do." he smirked at him as he put on his jacket leaving Light confused and silent for the five minutes it took them to gather their winter necessities. He wasn't use whether the crack had been sexual or if he had been referring to the fact that they were both detectives trying to track down the top murderers of the world. Any case left unsolvable was either pushed on Ryuuzaki or the other three identities he possessed, leaving Light with the job of taking on the ones he didn't much care for. As L, Ryuuzaki only took the cases he was interested in. But Light was a bit more lenient.
He would help anybody in needed. Especially after what had happened…
He knew what it felt like to have those most important taken from you; to never taste the sweetness of justice.
To feel helpless…
"Ready?"
Light lifted his head from his thoughts and was met with the familiar orb black eyes of his lover, noting the look of concern but refused to read too deep into them in hopes of getting out and into the winter night. Nor did he make any attempt to explain his current look of sorrow when he turned his attention to the buttons of his jacket and pasted on a smile. "Ready."
He headed toward the door and Ryuuzaki followed patiently, his feet feeling unnatural and heavy in his boots as compared to their usual nakedness against the wooden floorboards. He twisted the lock to the door as he went to shut it behind him but stopped as a shadow caught his eye- a mistake against the silhouette of the snow ridden window.
"Ryuuzaki!"
"Coming," he turned away from the room and shut the door with a loud bang, placing his hands in his pockets as he made the way down the wooden stairs after Light. Even as he neared the other he couldn't shake the chill that plagued him.
Ryuuzaki knew too well that shadows meant more than just a trick of the light. He knew that every creak, step, bang, and glimpse in the mirror was more than just his mind playing tricks on him. His Doctor knew little of the things L had witnessed during his encounters over the past years.
Not even Light knew.
The flutter of black wings against the window meant nothing to him anymore.
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Christmas had passed leaving the world in a better and brighter mood, the holidays still lingering heavily amidst the London streets. Each lamp was present with a wreath or assortment of lights, belles hung in shop windows and rang from the streets while clasped in the mitten clad hands of people willing to stand out in the cold and collect money for those in need. Clubs were packed full of party goers eager to drink away their woes and glories from the tedious year and put it all behind them with each stinging sip of alcohol that would leave them aching in the morning. The streets were packed so full that Light found himself gripping his lovers hand in an attempt to keep himself from being pulled away by the flood of tourists and locals speaking a mixture of languages that the man found himself unable to process. L couldn't help but grin at the look on Lights face when an elderly man bumped clumsily into shoulder and offered him a stream of apologizes heavily ridden with German and an accent to boot. Europe was a strange and new place, far different then the crowded, slim streets of Japan. There was so much more to discover, so much more to do…
"Ryuuzaki."
The snow continued to fall heavily from the sky and the detective felt it gather in his hair, shaking it away. "Yes?"
"What would you like to do?" he was easy to hear above the crowd, his Japanese understandable only to him. As they walked however they were nearing closer to the center of town and the clock tower loomed above them, bathing the streets in its glow. Music could be heard drifting faintly from afar and the excitement in the air itched to drape Ryuuzaki in it's spell but he had far to much on his mind to care.
"Whatever you want Light-kun." he replied with a soft squeeze to his covered hand; a large bus zoomed by them in the street, pulling to the side to pick up those already weary from the days festivities. The shadow of it loomed over the couple treading along the sidewalk, decorated with advertisements and small cut out snowflakes plastered to the ceiling of the inside. Light offered Ryuuzaki a reply but his words fell deaf against the rumbling of the buses engine.
The shadow…
"Ryuuzaki?"
The detective hadn't realized he had stopped walking and the crowd around them shoved and push to get by, nearly knocking Light off his feet and into the snow. Ryuuzaki held onto his hand tightly and led him away from the sidewalk to a small bench not to far from the bus, offering a small apology but kept his eyes focused on the monstrous vehicle.
"Ryuuzaki…"
Light tugged at his hand, face strangled with confusion only to have the other turn to him with large eyes, blank and empty as they had been back at the loft. His ebony hair was littered with snow, most of it melting against the now damp locks so his hair fell slightly flatter against his head, glistening with the snow and water.
He wished… he could read what he was thinking.
Ryuuzaki was thankful he couldn't.
"I'm sorry Light-kun, I zoned out. What did you say you would like to do?"
"Um…" his voice was robotic but there was concern in his words he couldn't ignore and he repeated himself as if nothing had happened. The strangeness of the other never failed to confuse him. "I want to go to the square…"
"Alright," the man fished in his pocket and pulled out a rather tattered looking wallet, extracting a few notes and handing it to Light. The crowd around them was thinning. "Go buy some food and I'll catch up with you in a minute."
Light blinked at the money, brown eyes rotating up to meet the other. "Ryuuzaki-"
His words were blocked by the cold lips of the other and Light was helpless to them, allowing his tongue to travel past the frigid skin and into the warmth of his mouth where he basked in the familiar taste of sugar. He knew the kiss was just a distraction but he was hungry for them now that Ryuuzaki's sickness had gotten worse- he had promised to be cautious until he recovered.
But so far… recovering was becoming more and more difficult.
Light promised to take care of him, oh he had made his vow. Ryuuzaki was the only thing he had left these days and he was thankful the detective had chosen to stick with him, even when he knew heir relationship would have never lasted throughout the entire case back in Japan.
After that case…
All of them… there bodies cold and lifeless, eyes that had once smiled back at him with the pride only a father and mother could possess for their loving child. Friends he had once worked with, mouths which had once moved and laughed even when things were dark and clouded…
Light squeezed his eyes shut.
No- he wouldn't think about it.
Not now.
There lips parted, a dark chill biting at the dampness of Lights lips which he brushed away with his fingertips, taking the money slowly. He stared down at the other in hope that he would notice his concern but the mans eyes were focused away from his intensely, causing him to do a double take of the area- no one was around.
"I'll be fine, just go and I'll catch up." Ryuuzaki urged, face flashing into a soft smile just in time for Light to catch. "I have to take a care of something quickly."
"Will it take long?"
He shook his head, the gathered snow twirling about. "Not at all, I'll be back in time to eat and catch all the fireworks. Just enjoy yourself Light-kun."
He urged him away and Light went with much hesitance, his large eyes constantly struggling to catch the detectives but he didn't dare look up to meet them; he wanted to be with him… the thought of letting him out into the streets on his own was tearing blindly at his insides, making him feel even sicker than he was. He would be fine on his own for now.
As for himself…
The remaining locals boarded the stationed bus, packing in its passengers as tightly as possible to avoid having to come back for the evening. The bus boy did a double check of the area, casting a glance at Ryuuzaki before giving out the command to the driver and squeezing in beside him as the engine let out another loud roar, puffing jets of smoke out into the frigid air. The vehicle clamored away into the night until it was nothing but a speck in the distance and the detective was left to himself, his hands placed in the pockets of his coat, his expression grave beneath his wet locks.
The silence was comforting to his ears; the absence of people made him feel calmer, more at ease. The atmosphere would have been picture perfect, a scene straight out of a Christmas card if only his eyes hadn't been tainted so deeply.
The monster beside him was all too clear.
The detectives eyes slowly pivoted to the side.
"…you're early this year."
The two stared at each other in silence as the snow continued to fall, the distant voices of the crowd from the square tickling their ears. Yellow eyes glimmered in the lamplight, reflected in the black orbs rendered useless in there sockets by will alone as the detective stared absently at the creature which had traveled upon the top of the bus to reach him.
"Too stubborn to use your wings now that it's snowing Ryuk?" he asked stiffly.
At once a loud laugh burst from the Shinigami's lips and rang throughout the street, loud and scratchy with the amusement he had been struggling to hold in since his arrival to the human world. "Now why would you think something like that? Perhaps it was just the easiest way to find you since I lost track of you when you left your apartment."
"You've been following me for that long? It doesn't surprise me." Ryuuzaki sighed, turning away from him and heading across the snow covered grass, listening as the other trailed along. His footsteps were loud and awkward but never made a single print in the snow.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Someplace where we can do this privately."
Ryuk let out a low chuckle. "The boss isn't that happy with you this year."
The man shot him a look. "Hence the reason why I want to find a nice secluded spot."
The grass was replaced with sidewalk and the detective followed it until he reached a small alley where two buildings met- one an assembly of apartments and the other a small restaurant positioned away from the main crowds and tourists. Light shone down into the shadowed area from the steamy windows, the sweet smell of food tickling his cold nose while his stomach hid away.
Food wasn't important at the moment.
"Seems like your doing well," Ryuk sniggered as soon as Ryuuzaki turned to face him. "Your little boyfriend really has fallen head over heels for you, nothing changes every time I come down here." he shook his head, lips raising up to reveal a jagged tooth filled smile reminding Ryuuzaki of some deranged clown. "In my opinion he was better off dead."
"Your opinion didn't matter much to your boss did it?" Ryuuzaki bit back, leaning his back up against the stone wall. "Just because he can't entertain you anymore doesn't mean you have to wish for his death."
"Well I can't say I'm not enjoying myself." Ryuk drawled, scratching his head as the snow started to cover him, flicking it off with his nails. "I look forward to our little visit every year. I know Shinigami who would kill to take my place but since Light was originally my human I get dibs every time the boss brings it up."
"Glad to know I amuse you." Ryuuzaki smiled darkly, face drained of color. Though the creature annoyed him he was somewhat glad to find Ryuk fighting for a visit, proud of the fact that he knew how to handle him. Even anyone else was ever sent in his place he was as good as sunk.
"Now lets get down to business, " Ryuk chuckled, holding out his spider like hand. "Lets see what you've got."
"……"
"Come on, it can't be that bad!"
The book stashed in his back pocket suddenly felt much heavier than it had prior to him putting it there at the beginning of the day; the leather binding seemed to burn into his skin, causing him to quickly pull it out, chucking it at the other with utter distaste. His eyes were hard with anger as he began flicking through the pages.
An amused smile crept slowly onto Ryuks face and it only managed to grow with each page, eyes glinting as he read. "You really are stubborn aren't you?" he laughed, breath melting the drops of snow falling before him.
The detectives face remained cold. "I told you to tell your King I wanted nothing to do with it."
"But if it saves you a few years, then who cares?"
"I don't need a handicap." he snapped, his frustration building with each second. "I made a fair trade, I never volunteered to use this in his game."
It was true- he had made the deal as soon as Ryuk had agreed to fly back to his realm and have a talk with the King. Of course he had taken a few seconds to read over each rule, committing every scribbled white word to memory in English and Japanese. When he finished he had felt a heavy weight on his conscience, overwhelmed by the power and the possibilities he held clutched within his shaking hands.
Light… no wonder Kira had been born. A boy supplied with such power had little choice but to use it, for one would think him a coward. To pass up such an opportunity would be…well…
… inhuman.
"Light…" his fingers brushed across the still body, neck blue and black from the force he had applied to it in order to snuff out the demon snarling back at him in desperation. His face held neither a smile nor a frown as he stared at him, torn by the success he felt in defeating his enemy and the loss nipping at him knowing that his lover was gone.
To heaven perhaps… or perhaps the demon had dragged him down with him to the pits of hell.
"Or perhaps there is no heaven or hell." he whispered out loud to the bodies surrounding him, laid out against the corners of the room so they were facing away from him and Light, simply spectators to the climax of the story. His hand held tightly onto his cell phone in hopes of receiving a call on the teens family but so far no one had contacted him.
Heaven and hell. L had never held much belief for such places, especially in his profession. Heaven and hell were simply places created by the human mind so that humans could believe that their actions would hold terrible consequences for them after death; a simple way to make children go to bed when their parents told them too and a threat directed at teenagers when they were caught sneaking home after hours with their pants unbuckled and zippers down.
But with so much crime…perhaps humans held less belief than L had thought in the holy lands. With so many crimes being committed, if people truly believed that they would be judged by their actions and sent to hell L should have been out of the job.
But Light… Light was a different case.
He had taken the role of judging into his hands and thought he was doing the world a favor.
A god of death.
The jagged toothed image of the monstrosity he had communed with flashed before his eyes and the detective looked to the ceiling in hopes of seeing him return. He wanted to get this over with before he changed his mind… before what care he held in his cold heart extinguished, leaving him with the robotic love he possessed for his work.
"Justice would prefer if I let you rest Light-kun." he told the still body, hugging his knees to his chest so he was peering over them at the other with heavy black eyes. "But I'm not losing you even if it means I've won."
The silence was broken by a loud chuckle.
"That's a rather contradicting thing to say, you know."
L's eyes shot up to the ceiling where the familiar yellow eyes rested peering down at him, a majority of his body resting inside the ceilings interior where he couldn't see. The smile on his face was so wide that the detective couldn't help but wonder what sort if information he had in store for him and how much of it was set up for the Shinigami's own amusement.
"What did your King have to say Shinigami?" he asked darkly.
The monster laughed, making L's skin crawl. "Come down to the lobby and I'll tell you all the details."
Parting from Light wasn't exactly the first thing L felt like doing in such a situation but he unfolded himself from his position on the ground, bones cracking as he stood up. He stepped over the bodies without so much as a glance at their faces and made his way down to the first floor in silence though the demonic laughter seemed to echo in and out of the elevator shaft as he made his way down, as if the monster were teasing him with the information he was dieing to give out.
He would do it- L had told Ryuk to tell the King has proposal. He would never go back on his words.
"So what did your boss think?" L asked as soon as his feet touched the marble floor, his tea from earlier now cold and still on the counter where he had left it. The monitors still showed footage of Misa's room and various other locations around Headquarters but not a single soul was visible upon the recording screens.
Misa had been filming a movie at the time- he had heard the sirens not too long ago heading downtown.
Ryuk snickered from his spot near the table, wings flapping with delight. "Well I can't say Rem was too excited about your bargain but the King said he'll make sure she stays away from you from now on. She's still brooding over Misa."
"I don't care about Rem." L snapped, placing his hands in his pockets hastily. "I offered your King half of my remaining life in exchange for the remainder of Lights. If he wants more, he can have all of it."
"I knew you would say that," Ryuk smirked with an air of amusement so heavy L could feel it pressing against his skin. "That's why I told the boss your little love story and set you up with a deal. It wasn't easy though, I really had to make it juicy in order to get anything that you could actually work with. But I'd say its pretty good."
"Then why doesn't he come down here and tell me?" L asked, face unchanging yet slightly relieved. "Or are you and Rem the only active Shinigami in your world?"
"Pretty much," he shrugged, fishing around the table for something to eat, eyeing the half finished apple Matsuda had left earlier during the day. "The boss likes to keep to his realm. I think he figures if he left the Shinigami would make trouble so he's appointing me as his messenger for you. Lucky, huh?"
"For you." he spat, eyes narrowing beneath his black locks. "What kind of deal did you get for me?" part of him dreaded knowing for L knew that the Shinigami could care less about his life and was only doing this for his own personal amusement, using him as a substitute for Lights previous stupidity. However there was one difference between him and Light.
L was doing this for his own selfishness.
"Well it's complicated. You see, the King figured he would just cut your life in half and leave you what remained of it but he really doesn't see how that would benefit him. The highest power the rest of us Shinigami possess comes from the Death Notes and you can't take half of someone's life and guarantee they'll live regardless of how much you tweak it. So if I wanted to help you on my own, I wouldn't be able to-sorry pal. But let me let you in on a little secret." he snickered, leaning over so his face was close to the detectives, whispering to him as if he were telling a private joke. "I know for a fact that the boss is the one who writes all these rules in the Death Note so trying to get him to change his mind isn't all that hard, he simply changes or adds on a rule from time to time when he's bored. But he made a special change just for you and kept it private only to his notebook," he fished around in his back pocket feverishly. "Which I just happen to have right here."
The monster extracted a beaten white notebook and held it out to him, it's covered grazed with scratches, tears, and dents of different sizes leaving it with an appearance of some beat up bible dragged to the surface of a long forgotten tomb. There was no title visible to L's eyes- not a single letter except for the remaining white color that managed to peer out from beneath the scratched carnage. Ryuk flipped to a blank pages and held it out to him along with his skull crafted pen, grinning like a car salesman eager to bask in the stupidity of his client who had only managed to make him richer.
"Sign here." he smirked.
L refused the pen and instead squinted his eyes at the foreign text visible on the left hand page, similar to that of Lights notebook. Even though L knew every language from every region of the world he couldn't identify the scribbles with any known native text, growing frustrated with the reliance he had to place on Ryuk. "What does it say?"
"Oh, this?" he held the notebook up to his face and squinted, running over the words quickly with his yellow eyes. "It's the Kings language. Basically it states that by writing your name on this given page of the notebook you bind your remaining life to the King until your death. During this time he has the power to extend and shorten your life as he sees fit, so I'd watch it if I were you, you never know what that guys going to do next- it depends on his mood. I also brought up the point with him that he would probably forget about you over time and end up dropping the deal completely, letting you off the hook. But that would only leave me with more boredom so I made him add on a little… side-effect I guess you could call it."
"What type of side-effect?" L pressed grimly.
"Well it's more of a benefit to you really. If the boss decides to mess around with you in his free time, it would look really odd if you were sent to the hospital one day and than woke up the next with no rational explanation for your health problems. So we talked about it an decided sickness would be in order. That way we're not tampering too much with the original rules, if you catch my drift."
"What about Light, what's his role in all of this?" L asked weakly.
Ryuk shrugged, tilting his head to the side. "The boss didn't show much interest in him. Since you didn't want him to come back as Kira he's nothing but a normal human now and the most he's doing for him is giving him back the amount of life your willing to sacrifice in exchange for his. Which brings us to the other part of the deal."
From his side pocket Ryuk pulled out a rather ordinary looking apple, it's skin free of bumps and bruises making it appear perfect and unharmed in the clutches of Ryuks clawed fingers. He held it out to him along with his pen and L took them carefully, spinning the apple around so he could gaze at his reflection in it's ruby drenched skin.
He had a bad feeling…
"When you sign the Death Note you give the King complete control of your lifespan. If you take a bite out of this apple it sets the deal between you and Light and he lives another year, but it only works if he finishes the rest of it. Giving life to a human isn't really something a Death Notes supposed to do so the boss had to come up with a totally separate process in order to bring the kid back to life. "
"Then why go through all the trouble of getting me to sign his Death Note so he can control my life if all I want is to bring Light back to life?" he breathed darkly, digging his nails into the apple, juice dripping across his skin. "Shouldn't the life I'm giving to Light be enough?"
"Not when that life's going to another human. The King wanted something out of it and what he wants is you. He thinks you've got guts for attempting to pull something like this."
"I'm flattered." L offered flatly. His original offer had been half of his life in exchange for half of Lights, but apparently it wasn't that easy. Not only would he be giving a year of his life up for Light, but he was allowing his lifespan to be controlled by the head of Shinigami and perhaps even be giving up more of his lifespan for him than the boy. He could die at any second or suffer for an eternity.
"What… if I want to give Light more than just one year?" he asked quietly.
The Shinigami stared at him as if he had just asked for a box of horseshoes, freezing over before bursting into a fit of laughter so loud L was thankful for once that everyone residing inside the building was diseased. He clutched at his sides with his free hand and held out the Death Note before him, coughing. "Well then I guess I'll have to pay you a visit each New Years won't I? It'll give me something to look forward too. Plus since your being so sincere about this, I'll let you keep Lights' Death Note and perhaps you can earn a few points with the boss- save yourself some years by doing some dirty work, you know?"
"I'm not going to suck up," he snapped, taking the pen and positioning it over the book, locking eyes with the other fiercely. "I'm doing this for him."
"Oh?" his smirk darkened drastically. "Well than maybe you should reconsider."
"Why would I do that?"
"Cause bringing someone back to life after their time seems pretty selfish to me. I doubt Light cares whether or not he's alive or dead. He'll probably hate you anyway once he's found out everything."
"…" L's eyes narrowed and he stared at the paper in concentration, his brain whirling with the Shinigami's words as he struggled to process an accurate view of the future ahead of him. Light… he would fix him. He would protect him from all of this while taking him under his wing and training him in his profession. The boy already had the brains, it wouldn't be all that hard to teach him to be a detective. Their relationship would flourish with time and L would be free to feel whatever he wanted too without having to worry about Kira. He would simply drop the case and move away with Light from Japan…
Yes- L would give Light a second chance.
He was risking too much to be considered selfish.
L could feel his fingers grow numb with cold as he gripped the demonic pen and proceeded to scribble his name into the tattered notebook, each letter stripping away a piece of his soul just as the ink flowed sloppily from the pointed tip, staining his pale fingers. He barely received a chance to look over his handiwork before the book shut with a loud snap and Ryuk pocketed it, staring at him with growing anticipation.
L glanced down at the apple.
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
"You have no more business here, I want you to leave." L ordered quietly, turning his back to him.
"Not until I see you take a bite, or the deals off."
"That's not for you to decide Shinigami," he tossed the apple up into the air, catching it with his ink covered hand. "You never said when I was required to bite it, I could wait as long as I want and you would still get your yearly visit so what does it matter?" he glanced back at Ryuk, black locks shadowing over his headlight eyes filled with a dangerous spark. "Leave the rest of this fairy tale to me."
The monsters black wings drooped but he had nothing else worth saying to him, simply raising his wings and taking off before stopping mid ceilings, leering down at the others. L glanced up at him with strained patience.
"You know, out of all the humans I've come across, I've got to say you've been the best in show. The moment you caught Light with that T.V Broadcast I knew you were going to squash him out one way or another but I never expected this! You really are the most entertaining human I have ever met."
L bit back the choice words he had stored for him, simply fixing him with his black gaze until he disappeared through the ceiling with an ear ringing laugh, fading away into the distance until the detective was left with nothing but the silence of the lobby and the frantic beating of his heart as he clutched the apple as a patient would a remedy.
He wanted to see him.
He wanted to know if this was real or just a trick planted on him by demons bored with the meaningless life they lived, desperate to quench their thirst for fun by using L as an experiment.
L would let them have their fun- but not without his end of the deal.
In seconds he felt his feet guiding him up to the room where he had left Light, beautiful and silent in the same spot where he had left him minutes before. The blue marks on his neck were the only signs of any type of struggle. If it weren't for them, L would have sworn the boy were simply sleeping- free from the spell Kira had cast over him upon his awakening.
'…sweet prince…'
L sank his teeth into the forbidden fruit , tearing off a large chunk and allowing the sweetness to dribble down his throat before swallowing, shuddering with the coldness it brought to the surface of his skin like snow upon a fresh field, it's earth still rich with life not yet parted with the sun of day.
At once color trickled back into Lights skin and his chest raised steadily.
"Light…"
Chocolate brown eyes peaked open, fixing onto the detective with a tired and withdrawn look- like an angel disturbed from his dream filled slumber.
L smiled down at his treasure before slowly extending his hand, the bitten apple glittering darkly against his fingers, it's round body reflected in the teens pupils.
The detectives eyes glistened humorously.
"Apple?"
The snow was falling harder now and for once the cold seemed to creep through Ryuuzaki's jacket and nip at his ashen skin, shifting uncomfortably as he stared at Ryuk with a look of displeasure. He was over staying his welcome in this world- the detective wanted him out before the fireworks.
"So how much do I owe you, the usual?" he asked testily. "I have other places I need to be Ryuk."
"Oh, I know you do." he chuckled, lowering the notebook to his side. "Can't keep Light waiting, can you? It's rather nauseating in a way…"
L gritted his teeth. "How much?"
"Well…" Ryuk scratched his head and bent down lower so he was at the detectives level, staring at a small spot above his head where only snow and air existed to the naked eye. Ryuuzaki felt a shudder run through him as he realized what it was he was observing.
"The boss is getting rather bored with you, which is kinda sad since it's only been three years and all." Ryuk noticed the detective tense, snickering silently. "He says he's wasting his time by letting a human make a trade for his life for something as worthless as love. Basically he wanted me to come down here and do whatever I wanted with you."
"And what is it that you want to do?" the power Ryuuzaki had possessed in his voice was gone now, extinguished by the monsters words as they rained down upon the perfect life he had built for himself and Light, the short years they had spent together suddenly seeming distant and more precious then anything he had ever experienced. "If you're going to do anything, leave Light out of it." He had to find a way around this… he couldn't let it end now, not when he had worked so hard, risked so much just to keep Light in this world along with him.
"If the boss is bored, than that means Lights lifespan has about twenty minutes left unless you find a way to persuade me." he explained, the snow glittering maliciously in his large eyes. "Though knowing you, you've already found a way. Tell me what you're willing to offer. It's going to take a lot more than apples, I'll tell you that much."
"I…" Ryuuzaki's voice fluttered daintily against the snow and landed against the littered ground with no way of regaining it as it was buried beneath the oncoming flakes.
He had no response.
What could he give when the only thing worth anything to him was the one thing he was now fighting to keep?
He had spent the last several months doubled over in pain, plagued with sickness which was unexplainable to any Doctor who would offer to see him. His hands were cold, his head heavy, eyes black and dusted with the burdens he had chose to bear throughout the precious years he had spent avoiding the inevitable. Ryuuzaki had chosen to carry Lights sins single handedly and live with them in order to protect him from the devil which had once possessed him. The man would never know of the names he had written, the plans he had schemed, the lives he had taken…
L… he, L Lawliet had protected him from the memory of Kira.
L loved him- he actually loved Light Yagami and Light loved him back without any shame. He had watched a suspect turn into a lover, a criminal, and a corpse in a matter of months and came out victorious despite the years he had sacrificed when he knew nothing of the length of his lifespan. How much time he had left on this planet was a mystery not even the great detective L could solve.
But Ryuk- he knew. Knowing was natural for him and L could almost taste the smugness in his smile as he stared at him, waiting for a response. His eyes showed him more than just the weak raven haired man standing silently in the gathering snow, eyes empty yet wide with determination.
Yes… Ryuk knew and L didn't for he was just a human. Even if he made the eye trade it still wouldn't help him. There was no way of knowing for sure… and yet…
"I'll take a gamble." L heard himself saying, voice soft against the frigid air.
"What was that?" the Shinigami moved closer to him, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"I'll give you six years of my own lifespan to give to Light. If I have any years left over you can do whatever you want with me, kill me whenever you wish though I'm sure you'll rot away with boredom as soon as I pass away." he smirked at him darkly, black eyes glittering. "Only so many apples can be supplied to you when you confront me each year Ryuk so I suggest you ask for them now just in case I bet more than I can offer."
The monster blinked it him in complexion, letting his words sink into his tattered skull before letting out a weak laugh which faded into a growl as he realized the truth L was laying down before him. It was true the detective was the only human he had any contact with and would have for a very long time.
Apples… he couldn't get good apples in the Shinigami Realm. L was his golden ticket into the apple factory of the world and throwing it away so easily was maddening…
"You're pretty smart for a human. Even smarter than Light, if you don't mind me saying." he chuckled, reaching into his side pocket and pulling out a shriveled black apple which he handed to the man like a woman handing over a mousetrap loaded with the vermin it served to catch. L took it hesitantly.
"Take a bite out of that and give it to Light. It'll give him the six years, so don't worry about the way it looks. My supplies gotten a bit short. As for your remaining years…" he patted the leather book strapped into one of his many pockets and smirked widely. "Well first we'll see if you have any."
"Why can't you just-" a loud roar came from the nearby square, followed by a collection of whoops and yells shaking the snow off the roof of the apartments above. L felt his heart leap in his chest.
Light… he was probably looking for him.
"What's the matter, your boyfriend unable to manage on his own?" Ryuk snickered.
"Tell me," L raised his voice, straightening up in an attempt to threaten him; show him that he was serious now that their game had taken a drastic turn. "Tell me how long I have-"
"Heh, you know I can't tell you that. Not even Light had the pleasure of knowing back when me and him first met." he turned away from the detective and unfolded his wings, a flurry of snow blasting against the narrow brick walls of the alley. "You have fifteen minutes until you find out though, so I suggest you make good use of them and figure out what you're going to do with Light just in case you went over your limit. Of course you could always drop the deal and leave the apple alone." he turned back toward the detective, leering down at him until L could see his reflection in the ruby glazed eyes. "But knowing you, that's not going to happen is it?"
The detective stared back until he could see the blacks of his own eyes in the flashing red and offered him a smile, lips wet and pale with the melted snow yet still capable of the emotion which his eyes lacked. "I always get what I want Ryuk. Even if it means losing my life, I'm going to win this game we started." another roar of voices rose up from the square and a large pile of snow dropped off onto a trash can beside him, causing an annoyed shout to echo from the nearby window. L turned away from the monster and sprinted down the alley, offering Ryuk a small wave. "Happy New Year to you and your King Shinigami." he smirked, clutching the apple tightly as he ran.
Ryuk stared at him as he disappeared into the night, laughing while he ran over everything that had just happened in his head. It was unbelievable- the length a headstrong human such as L was willing to go to in order to keep someone as sickening as Light alive to amuse him. He took flight in a matter of seconds, soaring above the snow covered city of London, all the while laughing to himself as the climax of the game slowly ticked closer and closer, peering down at the square which rested beneath the towering shadow of Big Ben.
"L Lawliette," he laughed, perching atop the massive clock and fixing his eyes at the bustling square below, filled with people of all ages, shapes, and nationalities. There names hovered above their heads like smudged text upon wet paper, blending in with one another as they walked about. "You really are a riot!"
The hand of the clock ticked away the seconds and the voices of the humans below counted them down, each number blasting into the air in a chorus of slurred and muffled shouts, the numbers barely audible amidst the ruckus.
The clock shuddered as the hand brushed against the other amidst the massive twelve, filling the air with screams of joy.
Ryuk smirked down at the two small dots.
"However…"
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Big surprise, I'm extending this story to three chapters. It just doesn't want to end! I'm having a hard time trying to come up with a suitable ending to this so just bare with me while I get the last chapter typed out, it won't take too long. Also please don't go looking in your Death Notes and 'Volume Thirteens' to look at the rules and see if this type of deal is possible. I tried to stick to some of the basic rules but a large majority of it is stuff I came up with on my own. The sickness rule is the only thing that I think is legibly similar to the rules of the Death Note.
Please tell me what you think, reviews are loved!
Next chapter on the way!