The moment he came back to the world of the living was a rather unpleasant one. His mouth felt like it was filled with cotton; and the taste of his mouth was almost unbearable. Light slowly blinked his eyes open. He immediately decided that it had been a terrible move considering the sunlight creeping from the window had almost burned his retinas.
"Oh my head…" Light groaned in mild agony. It was like a brick of gold wrapped with a lemon had been smashed into his frontal lobe. His eyes were squeezed shut as he moved his hands to grab a hold of his head. The world sucked. The world really really was sucking today.
"I have some medication for Light-kun, if he so wishes to take it…" a soft voice spoke beside the brunette. Light waited a moment more before even attempting to open his eyes again. The process was a bit slow, but once the blur was gone he could see clearly.
"Ryuzaki?" Light questioned as he eyed the other man hovering above him.
It was obvious that the detective had just finished taking a shower. Black wet slicked hair stuck to the sides of L's head as he focused his undivided attention on Light. A bottle of aspirin was held firmly in his hand.
"What?" Light intelligently sputtered out. The younger man was completely and utterly confused. Certain facts were starting to solidify in his head; and for the most part it wasn't making any sense at all, so far…
What time was it? Where were they? What happened to that annoying foreigner…Vika? Why the hell did his mouth currently taste like something had crawled in and died? All these questions and more were swirling around in Light's head.
"Light-kun…passed out in the club yesterday. I coaxed him into a semi-conscious state in order to drag him back to the hostel," L explained, seemingly guessing everything that Light was asking in his head own head. There was a brief moment of silence.
"Oh…um. What time is it?" Light asked as he began to register more where he was exactly.
"It is about nine in the morning. I thought it best that everyone be allowed to sleep in today," L replied, scratching his ankle leisurely with his other foot. Light blinked. What did L mean by everyone? Wasn't it just them in the… Oh wait. Light turned his head to eye the fiery blonde still sound asleep in the bottom bunk.
"He doesn't seem that much of a demon spawn when he's asleep…" Light commented aloud.
"I would prefer it if Light-kun did not refer to Mello as demon spawn," L said with a blank look. Light sat up in the bed and grabbed the medicine from L's hand. He took a pill from the bottle and popped it into his mouth. He swallowed it dry.
"Maybe I wouldn't refer to the brat as demon spawn, if he wasn't spilled from the seed of Satan himself," Light bit out with a huff. A few moments after these words were spoken; Light received a whack to the back of his head.
…………………………………………..
It was near mid-day now. The three young men of varying ages stood in the middle of the shopping central. Shops aligned the center from all angles. Mello, who was now wide awake, bounced excitedly in place.
"Könnte ich gehen? Bitte?(1)" Mello asked L pleading, purposefully choosing to use German as a way to cheese off Light. The subtle taunt proved effective. Light directed a glare toward the blonde.
"Mello knows all the precautions I have set for him on this journey alone, yes?" L asked. Mello nodded his head happily, a grin spreading on his face. Light blanched.
"Wait… wait… wait! You're going to let Blondie here wander off without supervision? If I'm gone for five minutes, you'd call the National Guard!" Light growled.
"FUCK you! Abercrombie Prin— ow!" Mello held his head where L had hit him. He looked up at his idol with a small pout. L did not seem amused in the least.
"Language Mello…," L scolded before turning to Light "Do you find my methods unfair, Light-kun?"
"Yes I do! I don't think it's quite fair that you're letting a little kid run wild in the streets of German, while I'm here stuck with you!" Light howled in protest. Both Mello and L looked offended by Light's statement. Mello didn't appreciate being referred to as a little kid. L was displeased by the fact Light pretty much just dissed his existence.
"I'm sorry if my presence doesn't please you Yagami-kun, but his and Mello's situation are on a different level entirely," L said with eyes narrowed.
"Oh really!?!?" Light bellowed back, catching a few stares from some random passerbyers. Most thoughts pointed to "Crazy Asian screaming in the square". L inwardly seethed as he eyed Light down. Mello glowered alongside his idol.
"Yagami-kun is trying my patience… There are two definite reasons why Mello should be allowed to be on his own and you can't" L's voice dropped several octaves lower as he pointed to the blonde boy, "He is not currently under suspicion of being a mass murderer on a global scale. Secondly, he is able to speak the native language,"
With reasons laid on the table, it seemed Light was at a loss of words. L gave an eerie smirk as he gauged Light's reaction. The auburn-haired teen twitched. He hated when L pulled the "Kira" card on him. That card always put him in a foul mood. Mello watched the scene, becoming slightly antsy.
"Now that the loser knows his place, can I go?" Mello whined slightly. L turned his attention to the younger boy. The blonde grinned up at his idol and held out his hands, palm open. L dug into his pocket and pulled out a few Euros. He gently placed them into Mello's hand. The blonde took the money greedily and stuffed it into his black jean pockets.
"Mello is aware of what time I expect him back?" L said blandly.
"I come back to the square at three, so we can grab some grub. I know the plan. Can I go? Please…." Mello said. His eyes growing wider with each passing second in anticipation. L reached out his arms nudging Mello along, signaling that he was allowed to go. Mello shot off like a rocket down the main street, but not without ramming his shoulder into Light's side first.
"Hey!" Light cried. He watched the blonde run off into the distance. Mello turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Light. The older teen glowered. Mello grinned evilly before disappearing into the crowd. L pretended not to notice the interaction. He didn't feel like dealing with it…
"Come Light-kun, I believe that Haribo store over there is calling my name," L said as he took a hold of Light's wrist and dragged him along. Light grumbled, and thought about the many ways he could kill Mello. Light also secretly hoped that L couldn't read his mind. That would cause more than one problem.
"If you don't mind me asking, but what is Haribo?" Light asked. L turned to look at the other young man as if he had grown a third head. Light blinked, "What?"
"Is that Light-kun's attempt of a joke?" L asked seriously.
"Um…no," Light replied.
"I see…" L said before continuing on with their journey. Light was little bit irritated that L didn't actually answer his question. The two made their way through the crowds until they reached a small shop in a corner of the marketplace.
"I should have figured it'd be a candy shop," Light said with a scoff. Instead of acknowledging what Light had said, L made his way into the shop while simultaneously dragging the other young man behind him. Light sighed as he was carried off.
The shop appeared very colorful and bright. Little bins of candy lined the walls, and the various colors and shapes of the candy helped add to the effect. The atmosphere was pleasant. The store even smelled sweet. L licked his lips as he approached the display case. The quirky detective ripped off a plastic bag from a stand and opened it up. Light watched as L reached forward to grab a few gummy candies. A store clerk appeared out of nowhere with an angry look on her face.
"Nicht mit dem Hande! No hands!(2)" The woman shouted at the unsuspecting L. The poor man was a bit startled and retracted his hand away from the precious candies.
"Entschuldigung…" L said dejectedly. Light held back a grin. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but as long as L was getting yelled at for something it was 'A' okay. The shop clerk gave one last pointed glare toward L before walking off.
L pouted. He waited a moment before grabbing the shovel used to pick up the candy the 'proper way'. L narrowed his eyes a bit, but slowly began to fill his bags with various gummies. The candy gladly made up for the abrupt interruption. Light watched on with mild interest.
"What's so great about this Haribo candy that's different from any other candy?" Light asked curiously as he watched L shovel more of a particular gummy into his bag. L paused in his shoveling to glance over at Light. L said nothing, but dropped the shovel down and walked over to Light.
The insomniac reached into his bag and pulled out a gummy in the shape of a frog. He held it up to Light's face. Light blinked at it. What was L trying to do? The other man continued to hold up the gummy to Light's face.
"Eat it," L said sternly.
"I don't want to!" Light shot back. L pushed the gummy even more into Light's face. The younger man tried desperately to swipe it away, but appeared to be failing. Light made another move to protest and that's when L struck. The gummy frog was shoved forcefully into Light's mouth. Light tried not to choke.
"Delicious, no?" L said with a mischievous smile. Light coughed and attempted to breathe normally again. L stepped back slightly when a menacing look came to Light's face. The younger man went to hit L.
"Ryuzaki! I'm going to kill you!" Light shouted angrily.
"15 percent!" L cried as Light whacked him in the head. Light continued to poke and prod L playfully. He wasn't really going to hurt the detective as much as he wanted to. Plus, there were far too many witnesses. The faux fight ended abruptly when L kicked Light in the shin.
"Ow!" Light hissed as he grabbed his shin. L just looked at Light for a moment before going back over to the candy bin and started to shovel again. After a minute or two, Light let go of his bruising shin. He glared over at L, whom ignored him.
"Has Light-kun ever had a German gummy bear?"
Mello happily skipped towards his idol in the middle of the shopping center. In the blondes hands were several plastic shopping bags. Once Light and Mello made eye contact, they glared hard at each other. Although, Mello brightened again when L waved at him.
"Did Mello enjoy himself?" L asked pulling out another gummy from his bag and stuffing it into his mouth. Mello nodded excitedly and seemingly danced around the two with his shopping bag. Light laughed loudly. Mello stopped and gave him a mean look.
"What's so funny bit—witch face?" Mello chose his words wisely as to not get whacked in the head again by L for his language. L seemed to approve of the action, but was also curious as to why his suspect had been laughing. Light grinned evilly.
"I just think it's funny that you look even more like a little girl. The way you dance with those shopping bags…" Light started to laugh again. Mello looked murderous. L held Mello back with the scruff of his shirt when the blonde attempted to throttle the teen. The detective let out a sigh.
"You two may abuse each other later, but I believe it is time for our late lunch," L commented as he let go of Mello's shirt. The blonde huffed with a snarl and picked up some of the bags that had dropped when he went in for the kill. Light hid a smirk behind his hand.
L led the way. He eyed the many shops and restaurants; and tried to determine which would be the best final destination. Light walked beside the detective, also taking the time to observe things. Mello extracted a chocolate bar from one of his bags, and began to unwrap it.
"You both have an unhealthy obsession with sweets," Light said as he eyed the younger boy. Mello's eyes narrowed and he snapped off a piece of chocolate. He slowly chewed on it and swallowed. Mello picked up his pace and stood on the side of L.
"Er ist mehr dumm als böse(3)," Mello said bitterly to L as he glanced at Light. L bit his lip and also looked over at Light. The brunette huffed and turned his head away from them. L clicked his tongue and turned his attention to Mello.
"You know Light-kun dislikes it when you use a language he doesn't know…" L replied in English. Light swung his head around to look at them again. His face was slightly hardened and he seemed severely pissed.
"I do know how to speak English, you asshole!" Light shouted back in his native tongue. People walking by were considerably confused, especially when the three continued to hold conversation in three different languages. A little later, the three finally made it to a restaurant.
The three were seated in a small booth. Mello set his bags on the table. Light opened his menu to look at it. Luckily this time the menu was in English. He still had to translate things, but it was much easier.
"What did Mello purchase with the money I gave him?" L said curiously as he peeked at Mello from his menu. The blonde smiled and slammed his menu down on the table. He cleared his throat to tell L as if the information he was about to give was the most important in the world.
"Well, I purchased a lot of great chocolate. It wasn't that fake and cheap chocolate crap, but the good stuff! I got some German video games too! I thought someone would appreciate it…" Mello continued, holding up the bags that went with each object he described.
Mello finished talking when the waitress arrived. Each of the three placed his order and settled down for the meal. Light continued to look over at Mello. The blonde glanced back at him with a 'What the hell?' face. Light grabbed his water and took a small sip before setting it back down on the table.
"What's in that bag?" Light asked pointing to a tiny lone light blue bag that had been stuck in the farthest corner of the table. Mello followed Light's finger. The younger boy seemed to freeze and a bit of color rushed to his face. The blonde tried to push down the heat rising to his cheeks.
"It's none of your dam…damn business…," Mello stuttered before looking down at the table. L didn't bother to berate Mello for language. The younger boy seemed embarrassed anyway. That was punishment enough for him. Light was not satisfied with that answer.
Warm steamy food arrived soon after the exchange. L poked at his food, not particularly hungry. He had eaten a lot of gummies earlier, perhaps too many gummies. Light ate at leisurely pace. He took his time tasting the foreign food. Mello ate with much vigor. He stuffed his face to the fullest extent before swallowing. Must have been hungry…
The food was gone. The meal had ended. L paid for the food and the three were on their way once more. The sun was just beginning to go down when they exited the restaurant. Since it was December, the weather was just a bit nippy. Light rubbed his arms to keep warm.
As they walked along the sidewalk, street lamps began to flicker on even though the sun was still peeking over the horizon. The three were quiet as they made their way onward. They had to go back to the hostel and pack. They would be getting on a train tonight, and be heading to another town.
It was taunting him. Light couldn't take it anymore. The tiny blue bag in Mello's arms was begging to be opened. He had to know what was inside. It had to be embarrassing. It couldn't be too bad though. He was only a kid. Hmmm…
Light ran forward and snatched the bag from Mello's grasp. The blonde was startled and it took it a moment to realize what was happening. L stared at Light as if he were mad. The brunette grinned evilly as he dug his hand into the bag. Light blinked. It was soft, very soft. Light slowly pulled his hand out to reveal a fluffy white stuffed sheep. It even had a little blue bow wrapped around its neck. Light cackled.
"Look L! Apparently your little friend here is a secret doll lover," Light continued to laugh as he shook the doll here and there. Mello snarled and lunged forward at Light. L did nothing to stop the blonde fireball this time. Mello desperately tried to jump higher to grab the doll from Light's hand. The older teen had raised the doll high above his head. He was having far too much fun.
"Give me back Nea—" Mello stopped himself. The blondes face started to turn a beet red. Mello tried desperately to cover his face with his hands. He could have just died right then and there. Light lowered his arm and eyed the blonde.
"Nia?" Light teased. Mello opened his fingers and glared at Light through them. With a quick motion, Mello snatched the white fluffy doll back. L watched from the sidelines thoroughly amused.
"His name is Nea-nderthal! Because he's just a stupid white sheep!" Mello roared as he stuffed the doll back into its rightful bag. Light continued to laugh as Mello shot forward and sprinted the rest of the way back to the hostel.
"Up by 20 percent!" L said out of nowhere. Light stopped laughing.
"What? Why?" Light said with a growl.
"For deriving amusement from a child's shame. Now come, we must pack…" L explained. The detective then continued on his way. Light's eyes narrowed and he stifled a curse under his breath. After a moment he began to drag behind L.
NaNoWriMo! Sorry for the horrendously long delay. First year of college…trying to get the ropes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It makes me happy. =D Please review if you can. Alright! Time for the important stuff.
Translations:
Könnte ich gehen? Bitte? – Can I go? Please?
Nicht mit dem Hande – Not with the hands!
Er ist mehr dumm als böse – He is more stupid than Evil.