Phew, so far I've managed to stick with this 'one chapter a day thing'. However, I doubt I'll update on Christmas and Boxing day, because I'll have family round and whatnot. Umm, if you squint REALLY hard, you might be able to spot some slash, but it is very small. There is also some L thoughts included in this chapter - I wanted this tory to be mainly about Light and his thoughts, but I couldn't just not include some L pov. It is short though.
Disclaimer; this site is called FANfiction for a reason. Not to mention, if I owned Death Note, the entire thing would have been about LxLight.
"Hey Light, I think you've got a problem here," Ryuk howled, leaning forwards and slapping his knee in an exaggerated fashion that was no doubt meant to represent human amusement.
"That may be the case, but I think that you have a problem too. Think about it Ryuk, if I'm not in my body, then who's going to buy you apples?" Ryuk's look of utter horror was faintly amusing to Light, but it couldn't bring a smile to his face.
"What? No way! No apples? Light, that's just wrong! You can't expect me to just not eat apples! I could go and get some myself... I could pick them off trees when nobody's looking!" Ryuk sounded desperate, and Light knew that it wouldn't be long before the 'symptoms' of his addiction began to show themselves, and Light knew from experience that that was not something he liked to see.
"I just don't understand! I have to find a good reason for them to let me live, but what reason is better than the fact that I am ridding this world of evil-doers? What more does she want from me?"
"With Wicked? It's hard to tell. Plus, I don't think she's doing this for herself. Her lot hardly ever mess with humans; it's not what they do." Ryuk was looking around desperately, as though hoping an apple would just appear in front of him.
"I don't suppose you'd tell me what 'her lot' actually are, would you?" Asked Light, a miniscule amount of hope bleeding into his voice. Perhaps if he knew what they were exactly, he would better understand their motivations, and that would make finding a reason that they deemed acceptable an awful lot easier. Ryuk only laughed.
"Sorry Light, no can do. If she didn't tell you, what makes you think I will?"
"I gave you apples when I was in my body?" Light suggested, knowing that it was best to appeal to the apple-lover within Ryuk.
"Not good enough, Light. I've told you before; I'm not on your side."
"I know," Light sighed, giving up on that line of conversation, and quickly trying to think of a new topic he could discuss. "How do you know Wicked?"
"She comes down to the shinigami realm sometimes to say hello to us, or clear up a mess that someone's made in one of the other realms – it's not very often that she gets to visit the human world. They must think you're very dangerous indeed," Ryuk laughed in his annoying way that made Light sincerely wish it were possible to kill a shinigami with the notebook.
Light stood up, stretching slightly, though the motion was rather wasted when he lacked a real body and real joints to pop.
Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until this evening when she comes back. I'll tell her all about my mission as Kira, and she'll have to let me back into my body. This should be easy. It's only one day.
Light was bored. He had flat out refused to visit his body, telling Ryuk that it would feel too much like he was ghost, like he was already dead. Ryuk had simply shrugged, and headed off on a quest to find some apples and a place that he could eat them in peace, away from prying eyes and surveillance cameras. At first, Light hadn't complained – in fact, he was quite relieved to have some time alone to think.
Now, however, this forced solitude was beginning to grate on his nerves. He had never really thought himself a social person; mostly, he remained in his room studying. Besides, who was intelligent enough to keep a good conversation going with him? Apart from Ryuzaki, obviously. Light clearly couldn't talk to him too much, in case he inadvertently gave away some small, vital clue as to the true identity of Kira. Of course, he couldn't completely avoid the man either, as that would look extremely suspicious, particularly to one as observant as Ryuzaki.
Light wandered aimlessly through the halls of the task force headquarters, rather surprised that he had yet to run into anyone. He hadn't seen Matsuda running around on some errand set by one of the more senior members of the force, nor had he seen Watari fetching Ryuzaki some sugary snack or other, which was certainly a shock. Light had been beginning to think that Ryuzaki simply couldn't survive without a constant supply of sweets. In fact, he had contemplated removing anything remotely sweet from HQ, just to see if he could dispose of his enemy that way.
The sound of Misa's wails drifted through the halls towards him, and Light rushed forward, thinking that at that precise moment, even Misa's company would be better than the aimless wandering.
Misa, as it happened, was almost hysterical. Light hadn't arrived at the doorway to greet her, and she was demanding to know what was going on. Ryuzaki crouched in his usual chair, back hunched even further than normal, and Light saw his quick flinch as Misa's shrieking reached a pitch and volume that by all rights should have been able to shatter glass. He turned his head slightly to the side, and Light could recognise the beginnings of an exasperated eye-roll that would have been directed towards Light. At the last second, he seemed to catch himself, and turned back to his computer screen, grumbling quietly under his breath.
Rem was standing in the corner of the room, still appearing very smug about something, which confused Light – normally whenever Misa was upset, Rem was on the warpath. Often threatening Light's life while she was at it.
"Shinigami," Ryuzaki interrupted suddenly, turning towards Rem, and Light was startled to see that his eyes were slightly bloodshot. He knew that the man rarely slept, but this was ridiculous. A part of Light – a very small part, mind you – was wondering if Ryuzaki looked so exhausted because of him, but quickly dismissed that thought. After all, Light was a prime suspect in Ryuzaki's eyes. Why would he care whether or not Light lived? He probably didn't care- he was probably more interested in how this situation came about.
Why did that thought make Light's chest ache?
"Yes?" Rem responded, her soft voice carrying easily across the silent room.
"Is it possible that Kira could be controlling Light right now?" Ryuzaki asked, and if Light hadn't known better, he could have sworn that he heard a faint tremor in Ryuzaki's voice. Of course, that was just ridiculous.
"I suppose it is possible, but I can't imagine Kira using the notebook like this," was the quiet reply, her one visible eye flicking towards where Light stood in the centre of the room before focusing on Ryuzaki once again.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Ryuzaki had noticed; he also glanced in Light's direction. He, however, saw nothing, and swiftly returned his gaze to Rem.
"Can you think of anything else that might be causing this? Something that humans aren't aware of?" Ryuzaki asked, his voice urgent.
"Not that I'm aware of," Rem replied, though Light knew that she was lying through her teeth, and probably enjoying misleading all the humans, too.
Already sick of Misa's silent sobs and Ryuzaki's interrogation of Rem, Light turned and walked through the door – literally through the door, and not simply through the doorframe. It seemed that now he was no longer trapped within his body, he was able to move through solid objects, though the scientist inside him screamed that it shouldn't be possible.
Outside, the wind howled straight through him; an uncomfortable experience, though it was not at all painful. Huge TVs on the sides of buildings were giving updates on Kira – it seemed that the killings had continues, despite his current state, and Light couldn't help but silently thank Misa. Irritating she may be, she was utterly loyal and completely devoted to him, something that he used to his advantage wherever possible.
He sighed, wandering the streets alone, instinctively moving out of peoples' way, despite the fact that he was no longer solid. He already knew the answer he would give Wicked when she appeared tonight. He just had to make it through today.
L Lawliet wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He hadn't slept or eaten anything since Light had collapsed, and he was beginning to feel the effects. The shinigami didn't know what had happened, and the doctors he had hired could find nothing wrong with Light other than the fact that he wouldn't wake.
L wouldn't have been surprised if one of the other owners of a notebook had decided to get rid of all of the other owners – less competition that way. Or perhaps the shinigami had done this – he had rather gotten the feeling that she didn't much like Light.
Or maybe – though the odds were very small, roughly three percent – Light was innocent, and Kira was planning on killing the task force, one by one. However, that wasn't a possibility that L wished to dwell on, not with Light currently laying in a hospital bed a few rooms over, hooked up to countless machines and monitors.
L had once said that Light was his first friend – that was true. It may have been dangerous to befriend the man most likely to be Kira out of all the suspects identified, but L couldn't help himself. Light was charismatic, charming and easily as intelligent as L himself. He was one of the first people who truly offered L a challenge – this supposedly perfect boy, a mass murderer? It shouldn't be possible, but L knew that it was the most likely explanation.
Then there was the fact that Light was ridiculously attractive. L didn't like to admit it, even to himself, but now, with the possibility that Light might never wake...
Well, did it really matter what he admitted to himself?
Light wasn't precisely sure where Wicked planned to meet him, but he supposed that she would be able to find him, wherever he was. So, he waited on the roof, under cover – though he couldn't get wet from the rain, it wasn't very nice to feel it falling through him.
"Do you have a reason for me, Light Yagami?" Wicked asked, again standing behind him. He started to wonder whether she got a sort of sick pleasure from startling him so bad. In an ill-disguised attempt to cover his shock, Light gathered his dignity and stood to his full height.
"The world needs me. The world needs Kira. I am making this world a better place for good, honest people, and they know that."
"Do they really?" Wicked asked, a glint of something unidentifiable in her white eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" Light asked suspiciously. He had learned by now that you could never entirely trust a supernatural creature. There was always some ulterior motive.
"What of the families of the judged? The innocent, who have done nothing more than be related to the wrong people. Do you suppose they love Kira, do you think that they believe in what he is doing when he has murdered their sons, daughters, parents, brothers or sisters? Light Yagami, you are going about this the wrong way. I have already told you that my people do not approve of your actions as Kira, nor do we care particularly about your quest for a 'better world'.
"I want you to find me a reason for you to stay alive. Not Kira, not Light the detective, you. Why do you want to stay alive?"
Light blinked, then blinked again, thoroughly stunned. It was true, he had started thinking of himself and Kira as two people within one body, but Wicked couldn't know that, surely? He opened his mouth to ask Wicked what she meant by that, but she spoke before he could.
"I will return at this time tomorrow. Have another answer ready for me then."
Hahaha, Light has made it through day one without going insane. And is that concern I sense, Ryuzaki? So... why should Light be allowed to live. What do you think? I've probably made it totally obvious to you, but unfortunately, our two boys are completely oblivious. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
Also, because I've just been watching Harry Hill... I like L. And I like Light. But which one's better? There's only one way to find out... REVIEW... I mean, FIGHT!!