L: Chapter 9!! About time….

Light: Well, how long has it been? …THREE WEEKS?! THIS AUTHOR SUCKS!!!

Matt: Yeah… Egoxlockheart is on her way to some uncharted island to escape angry reviews… therefore we are stuck writing this author's note… which should really be the author's explanation for such a late update…

L: Maybe it's cause…. Yeah, I got nothing.

Light: Me either.

Matt: … … … … You know what, screw this. I'm with you guys.

Me:Sorry, I was feeling REALLY lazy… idk, I've been tired… and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do this chapter, so mainly I was avoiding it. It wasn't like I was working extremely hard on it and that's why it took so long or anything. If that was the reason, well… that just wouldn't be me. =)

Please don't hate me! I have a good idea of what I'm going to do for the next chapter, so hopefully the next update won't be as much of a wait. But then again, I always say that.

Mello: Just admit that you flat-out SUCK.

Me: Do NOT! I was also really busy! We've been loaded with school projects... and there's been lots of drama! Dx

Mello: Drama? Oh please, like you have any friends!

Me: See? This is why I hate your character. =P

Light rushed into the investigative team's previous headquarters, the station before L had separated everyone throughout Japan. The teen was worried – was someone hurt? Was there something the team wanted him to know? His mind kept drifting back to one possibility: had L betrayed them? As much as the bronze haired boy hated that possibility, it was the most probable of the options, and his hunches were usually dead-on.

If L had betrayed the team, then it would have been obvious to anyone that the team had found out with the way Light had left him at the carnival about ten minutes ago. "Who was that?" L asked with an edge in his voice, sounding clearly worried.

"It was just my dad," Light looked at the ground, "I have to go!" The sentence was hardly finished by the time Light took off across the field. Normally, Light's lying skills were top-notch, yet somehow, lying to L felt weird.

As the youngest detective remembered this, something in his stomach did a back flip. If L had betrayed the team, then Light would not only feel responsible for bringing his burden onto task force, but he would also be crushed since he had considered L a friend. If L hadn't betrayed the team, then Light would feel guilty for lying and abandoning him like that – especially after such a good day.

"Raito, son." Shuichiro Yagami's voice brought Light to his senses once again.

"What happened?"

"Well," The older man exchanged glances with other members of task force. Light noted each one's expressions; Aizowa and Mogi looked pissed, Matsuda looked guilty, Mikami looked smug and…. Was that a bit of fear in his eyes? Light tried to get his attention, but the man's thick-rimmed glasses were set on the chief. Clearing his throat, he continued. "L… is off this case."

"What?!" Light's voice rose just an octave too high, receiving weird looks from a few members.

"Let me explain. You see, your friend has been putting false information into the computer. Aizowa discovered this while you two were enjoying your break." The chief whipped out a two sheets of paper from behind his back, each with a list of times and locations. "Apparently, he had been making sure all of the calls went directly to your base and then wrote false information into the computer. When we received a call today, it was completely different from the patterns L had on the system. Aizowa went back through all the old newspaper articles and found that absolutely none matched up with what your friend had been entering in. He played us all."

Light stared blankly at his father, stunned. It was good that L had gotten a break so that the members could figure this out, yet the boy still couldn't believe his ears. How could L have deceived him so easily? Why would he? As far as Light knew, they had become friends, and L had seemed pretty sincere…

"Light?" Mikami looked at Light for the first time since the younger boy had arrived. The fear was gone, and replaced by concern.

"He wasn't good. Just forget it, it wasn't your fault –" Mikami stopped suddenly as Light slammed his fist into the wall angrily. Hair blocked his eyes from anyone's sight, but it didn't take a genius like him to figure out how upset he was. Upset was the only word that could describe it, too. The bronze haired boy felt enraged, betrayed, miserable, belittled… shapeless emotions welled up inside of him.

"I'll tell him."

"What?" Mikami was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude.

"I'll invite him to headquarters and tell him he's off the team."

"Maybe you should let someone else – Aizowa discovered this, maybe we should let him…" Shuichiro Yagami muttered.

"No. I want to." Light raised his head. His eyes burned furiously with a certain fire no one had ever seen before. The computer's light reflected around the room, giving it a ominous reddish tint.

"Light…" Mikami whispered. Had something happened between the two men? The Light he knew wouldn't freak out over something like this. Looking down to fix his glasses, he heard a person leaving the room. By the time the black haired man looked up, his dirty blonde friend was nowhere to be seen. He noticed everyone seemed to have blended in with the walls, all absorbed in their own work. Hastily, Mikami followed Light.

"Light!" The younger man pivoted to face him. "Light!" Mikami ran up next to Light, repeating his name once more. "Light. I think you might be interested in your friend."

Light raised his eyebrows. "Is there something I should know?"

Mikami thought for a minute, wording his next sentences carefully. There was no way Light would believe that L was a vampire! Heck, he himself barely believed it, even after watching L suck down his blood with his own eyes. "Be careful. L can be scary… he is very vengeful, and fast, and strong." Mikami tried to put extra emphasis on the last words, as if that would make Light believe him more. His friend surprised him, however, by closing his eyes and tipping his head back calmly.

"I was so stupid to invite him into the task force, with no knowledge of… anything, really. It's my fault. If L hurts me, it's only to be expected."

"But, Light! You don't understand. This man is dangerous! He could-" Mikami was cut off by a glare from Light, followed by a heaved sigh.

"I'm sorry. I get it, ok? I bet the guys just sent you out here to scare me. I have to do this – it's my entire fault in the first place. Bye." With that, Light walked off, leaving a stunned Mikami in the middle of the sidewalk. Knowing Mikami, he couldn't let this happen. All he needed was google… if vampires existed, wouldn't vampire hunters?

***

Light's heart gave a not-too-gentle tug as he saw his messy haired friend running up to him. Friend. Please. Light stood outside of their old base where he had been waiting for the past half hour. He hadn't been sure of the exact time L would arrive, and he had to sort out what he was going to tell the other one. Just yesterday, Mikami had warned Light, saying L was dangerous. He had never seen L be anything but kind, but weren't the extremely nice people like that the ones who always went wrong in the end?

L watched Light's eyes shift to the ground and a sigh escape the boy's lips. He looked troubled, which translated as trouble for L. After the phone call yesterday, it wasn't too impossible…

"What's wrong, Light? You've been acting weird ever since yesterday…" But of course L already had a pretty good idea of what the blonde would say to him. If he was right, this could only mean one thing for him: GAME OVER.

"L, you're off the investigative team." L dropped his eyes to the ground. Onyx orbs bore holes into the sidewalk below. "Obviously I don't have to explain why, since you already know what you did…" Light trailed off. All of the words he had planned to say dissolved when he saw his messy haired friend like that. What was he doing? Isn't this the part in the movies where the villain always laughs and spells out their whole plan, since their secret was foiled anyway? L looked so sad – and it didn't even look like it was because he had been caught. He just looked like someone accused him of committing a crime that he didn't do. One question still remained in Light's mind, however. "Why did you do it?"

Of course Light would want to know that. It was a reasonable question, right? Everything had seemed like it was falling right into place and that soon this mystery would be solved, yet now the entire task force is back at square one, all because they had been played. It was the only thing you would want to know at a time like this, after the crime and criminal have been recognized.

"I had to." L looked up, directly into Light's eyes. The stare he was giving wasn't a glare, but wasn't entirely friendly either. L was pleading with Light. The deep black eyes pleaded to not ask any further. He was pleading not to arrest him. But why?

"I still don't understand…"

"I'm sorry, but you just won't. I'll get my things, and I'll leave."

"Wait!"

By this time L had begun to walk away. With every step he had taken, his back seemed to stoop farther. When Light called him, he stopped and turned around. "Yes, Light-kun?"

The formality struck Light by surprise. Trying to push back the soft blush that (for some odd reason) had begun to creep up his face, Light continued sheepishly, "My father… and Mikami-" L snorted at the name "Aizowa, Mogi.. They all want you… arrested."

"I don't think I deserve to be arrested… I mean, I really didn't do anything bad, wouldn't you agree?"

"You screwed up our data! You set our entire police force back! I think that's pretty bad!"

"It was inevitable."

"You could have just as easily continued on with your life and not bothered to screw around with the authorities!" Light's low voice hung in the air well after he was done speaking. L didn't dare speak, too afraid that he might actually slip.

"You win," L said in such a soft voice it was almost inaudible. That had been close – L had almost admitted to being kira, in an odd way. After all, he had to mess with the data to protect himself and his clan, right? Gradually, L turned back around and began walking away again. Never had he imagined it would end like this: a failure. Humans might actually be somewhat smarter than he had originally calculated.

Light watched him go, with nothing left to say. What would he tell his father? The task force? What had L wanted to say? Could he be kira? The bornze haired boy pondered these questions that would probably never be answered now. The only sound to be heard was the rythmic tap of L's boots against the pavement as he walked away. What was going to happen now?

Things were getting interesting alright, L thought, smirking. Well, he had begun to get a little homesick. Near, Matt and Mello had returned to the apartment quite a while back. Maybe they could have a little reunion party… L's tongue grazed his fangs as he licked his teeth. Blood was sounding quite delectable right now…

A/N:

Arg. I worked on this chapter last week, and then this week the site was down until now and it still sounded like crap!!

LIGHT WAS BEING A BIPOLAR BASTARD, I KNOW. And L was being all overly-dramatic, I'm sorry. I was trying to make it dramatic, but when I do that they all end up sounding like some bipolar homos. GRRR.

btw - I know at the end I mentioned L's BOOTS. I know he always walks around barefoot, but remember children, he is trying to fit in with everyone. Somehow I always thought that if he wore shoes, they'd be big boots, like some huge black combat boots or something. ^^ Weird, I know.