AN: I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated. Since the last chapter I've competed in a national competition, moved two states away, and started college. Add in the fact that this chapter made my brain short out and you have months between chapters. Once again I'm sorry and I will try to do better in the future.
Normally Light just ignored L's bizarre eating habits, but today was different. Today L did not have cakes or doughnuts. He had Oreos.
Light watched in fascination as L first took a cookie from the bag. Then with a deft twist he would separate the top cookie from the bottom and cream. He would set the cookie on one side of the table. Next he would carefully remove the cream so that it came away in one complete slab. The cookie was placed with its former compatriot on the far side of the table. L would delicately grab the cream with his fingers, lever it over his mouth, and let it drop in. It disappeared with a quick swallow.
Light thought the whole operation was done, once the last cookie in the bag had been dissected, but he was wrong. L then turned to the pyramid of discarded cookie exoskeletons he had created. Each cookie became a work of art. L would nibble on the cookie to create hearts, crescent moons and stars. The final cookie became of all things an "L". For his grand finale the detective dipped his creations into a glass of milk that had been ignored up to this point. Then the soaked sweet disappeared into his mouth.
'At 53 calories per cookie with 45 cookies in a bag we come to the grand total of 2,385 calories which is 385 more than a healthy dietary requirement. That's besides the 210 grams of sugar he consumed...' Light's mathematic musings were interrupted when the bottomless sugar pit turned to look at him.
"I'm sorry, did Light-kun want an Oreo? I have another bag if that is so." L turned to pull out another bag of the cookies.
"That isn't necessary Ryuuzaki." Light said this a bit too fast. He felt nausea rise at the thought of eating one of the chocolate cream cookies. Watching was bad enough.
"Are you certain?" L tilted his head slightly in question. "Well they're right here if you change your mind."
'Hell will freeze over first.' Light thought. What he said was. "Thank you, but no."
Light was being a bit more courteous since he was finally out of the full body cast and could do things like scratch his nose and turn his head. It really was the little things in life.
Suddenly L turned pale and his eyes got huge. Most people wouldn't have noticed the difference, but Light had been around the detective long enough that tiny changes like that sent up huge red flags for him. The only thing that was different was that Light could hear raised voices out in the hallway.
"A visitor's badge? We actually have to wear these ugly ass things?" This sounded like a very annoyed young person.
"I'm sorry, but all visitors are required to wear the badge while present." Light recognized this voice as the head nurse on this floor that had almost infinite patience. It seemed like she had finally reached the end of it.
"I'm sorry Miss. I'll make sure my brother puts his badge on right away." This voice was a young male and at the end of his rope.
"Like hell! There is no way you can make me…Noooo! How could you?! That was my last bar!" The desperation in that cry was astounding.
At this point three of oddest people Light had ever seen literally fell through his door. Well at least two of them did. A blonde wearing skintight leather was trying to strangle a boy with red tinted hair in a striped shirt. The third was a kid with white hair in what looked like white pajamas. The way he was slumped reminded Light of someone.
Then the red haired boy spotted the two of them and froze for a moment before trying to get the blonde's attention with very little success.
"Want to distract me? Nice try! You are so dead!" Finally the young man getting strangled managed to knee the blonde in the side and roll him off. He gasped for air and pointed at L. His attacker finally looked up and turned even paler than the detective. L gaped for a moment before the two wrestlers started babbling in English.
"Roger said you weren't coming back…"
"I followed him to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble…"
Then the blond stopped his tirade and stared at Light as if just seeing him. He also missed the shushing motions L was making.
"Who's the Frankenstein monster?"
Up to this point Light had been rather amused at their antics, but this crossed the line.
"I'm paralyzed, not deaf. Idiot." Light said this all in flawless English. The look on the blonde's face was one of horror and flaming embarrassment. Then Light looked over to see L making motions with his hands. He was confused until the other three started making gestures back. Then he realized they were signing.
"Never underestimate someone. Whammy House isn't the only place those of higher intellect exist. Now can someone tell me why and how you three are here? One at a time!" L signed this all quickly in American Sign Language since it was a requirement at Whammy House for situations like this.
Only then did all three boys pause. It seemed rather silly now that they were actually here. Then, with his face still flaming, Mello slowly started to sign.
"You weren't coming home. You weren't coming back to Whammy. It was okay when you left for cases. It was necessary, but you always came back. Then on the eve of your biggest case you decided to abandon us. What were we supposed to do?"
L froze. He had all sorts of notions from terrorist takeover of Whammy House to a chocolate ban in England, but this had taken him by surprise…yet it shouldn't have. He had known all these boys since they were very young. Even while being the top three detectives in the world, L had made it a priority of his to pay attention to the children of Whammy. With the brightest he was especially careful to have a hand in their life and how they were raised.
A's suicide and BB's later defection and killings were a blow to all of Whammy and L personally. L never made a mistake twice and one as devastating as that drove home the need for change. So, despite his social awkwardness, L would interact with the kids. From reading, to cooking, to just talking, he would find ways to connect. It was during this that L had come to a rather astonishing discovery.
Children didn't find his awkwardness a detriment. Whenever he entered the adult world L could tell that even those who respected his skills would look at his idiosyncrasies with disdain. Kids didn't think like that, even ones as gifted as those at Whammy. When L asked one young girl if she thought he was odd she said, "Sure you're odd, but that doesn't make you a bad person. You're L! You're the opposite of bad!" With that guileless acceptance L came to have a soft spot for all children in general and a particular love for those of Whammy and they loved him in return.
During his pursuit of Kira, L had been so single-minded he had ignored those he had left behind in England. These kids who had often had a hard time trusting anyone had come to count on him and he had returned their trust with a cold shoulder.
L was ashamed of himself. His shoulders slumped further as he finally replied to Mello's inquiry.
"I'm sorry. You did as you should have. I needed a reminder apparently."
Since Light had been unable to understand what was being said, he had taken the time to analyze the newcomers and read everyone's body language.
The boy in white seemed to be the youngest of the group, about 10 to 13 years of age. He had yet to speak a word so Light couldn't gain any clues from tone or accent there. He was most likely of Slavic descent, but Light couldn't narrow it down any further than that. Now that he could compare, Light could see a definite similarity to L in the child's posture. The movements were very methodical, especially for one so young.
Next was the boy with red hair not normally found in nature. His clothing was a bit of a hodge-podge, but not completely unappealing. Light placed his age between 13 and 15 leaning more towards the latter. In any other situation Light would have thought him to be an American, but with L there were no certainties. There were the beginning signs of bruising appearing on his neck. Plainly the blonde played for keeps.
Light wasn't even sure of the final intruder's gender until he noticed a hint of an Adam's apple. One would think that skintight leather would quickly reveal gender, but it in fact had the opposite effect. Once Light had determined the blonde was male he had an easier time estimating age, which he gauged to be similar to the previous boy's. The boy also appeared Slavic, but the crucifix most likely had him coming from a nation prominently Roman-Catholic, such as Poland.
The biggest surprise to Light in this whole fiasco was L. While L interacted with the boys his posture became more…well…fatherly. Light had never seen anything like it. Most of the time L barely seemed older than Light's actual age, but right now Light could truly believe that this was the man who had been fighting for justice for the past decade. The detective finally turned towards Light.
"Pardon me Light-kun. I apologize for the secrecy, but I needed to talk with them in private." He spoke in Japanese, since he knew the boys were at least fairly fluent in that language and Light deserved the courtesy.
Light raised an eyebrow, waiting for an introduction, which was assured to have parts omitted, made up, and definitely be awkward. The boys looked to L who made a few motions with his hands. The red haired one stepped forward.
"My name is Matt. I'm a technology specialist." With that he shrugged and stepped back. The blond stepped forward.
"I'm Mello. Weapons specialist." His tone was brusque most likely from the earlier reprimand. Finally the boy in white stepped forward.
"Near." There was an awkward pause, before Light realized that was all he was going to get. Light looked down the line of boys when he noticed a pattern.
He glanced at the detective. 'L.'
Then at the two older boys. 'M.'
Then finally at the youngest. 'N.'
Combined with the fact that these strange young men spoke several different languages fluently and were on familiar terms with L, Light came to a startling conclusion.
"You're L's successors."