Chapter 6
Intoxication
Light had underestimated him. But then again, he had also underestimated Light. He hadn't taken the fake notebook. He'd known it was a fake. Was Light able to sense the killing power in the notebook?
The second he'd picked it up, he'd known it was a fake. How did he know that?
L reviewed the security footage again for the hundredth time that hour. He'd had extra cameras on an entirely different system installed in the basement. He'd watched the recorded footage the second he was sure Light had left the building, secluding himself away from the other investigators in his bedroom.
What had tipped Light off?
It hadn't been Rem, the shinigami had remained in the control center, silent and immobile as always. And L knew that notebook was the same - right down to the ripped forty-second page. He'd spent hours meticulously putting the replicas together; making sure it was exact. So how had he known?
Why had Light thrown a temper tantrum instead of taking the notebook with him, or at the very least, writing a name in it?
He obviously didn't know he was being observed. Light would never lose control like that if he knew he was being watched. Unless it was an act. . . Had he discovered the new security surveillance I had installed? He did pause for a moment when he entered the basement.
He'd sent Mogi out to follow Light. He was certain there was another notebook out there. He was also certain that Light knew where it was. Was he going to retrieve it now?
Is that the reason he left so easily? I've been trying to get him out of headquarters for days now and he's always been reluctant. What are you up to now, Light?
His phone vibrated loudly on the desk beside his laptop and he answered it on the first ring, dangling it beside his ear. He didn't say anything.
"Ryuzaki? I'm outside his place now. There's nothing suspicious going on here. He had supper with his mother and sister, I was able to watch through the window. Then he went upstairs to his room and hasn't come out again yet, but I can't see what he's doing in there. It's been almost an hour since he went to his room." Mogi reported, efficiently as ever.
"I see. Hold your position and continue watching for him. I want to know immediately if he leaves the house." He ordered. He didn't trust Light as far as he could throw him.
"Yes, sir." Mogi said crisply, then hesitated. "Er, Ryuzaki?"
"What is it?" L asked tiredly, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
Here it comes. An inquisition as to why I'm still having Light watched after officially clearing him of suspicion.
Mogi hesitated for another second on the other end of the phone before sighing loudly. "You're his friend, right?"
"I am." He affirmed. But that doesn't mean I wont convict him if I can.
"Well, then maybe you should go see him. The kid's pretty messed up still from the Higuchi incident."
"What do you mean?" He asked sharply.
Light's exhibiting unusual behavior? Why didn't he mention this before!
"He stopped at a liquor store on his way home. I didn't go in because I was sure he would see me, but he definitely bought something. When he came out, he hid the bottle in his jacket." Mogi said quietly. "I don't think he's the type to usually drown his worries in alcohol, but I don't think he should be alone right now."
L's eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. Light had made a purchase from a liquor store? That didn't fit with Light's profile at all. Light was a control freak. He liked to play god. He wouldn't willingly accept anything into his system that would compromise his control. Something was up.
"I'll go see him now." L said quickly, already rising from his crouch and grabbing his coat. "Wait until I get there and then you can head back. There's no reason for us both to be there."
"Yes, sir."
He hung up and stuffed his feet into his sneakers, barely even registering his own dislike for them before he was running out of his room and down to the car park.
"Watari," He said, staring at the security camera he knew his mentor was monitoring as he paused next to his BMW. "I'm going out. To see Light. If I die tonight, you can be sure that Light is Kira and I trust you to present my findings and see this case closed."
It took him barely fifteen minutes to find his way to the Yagami household. It only took him two minutes to negotiate his entrance into the house with Light's mother. He was Hideki Ryuuga, a classmate from Light's school. There was no reason for her not to let him in.
He liked Light's mother. She seemed . . . nice. Shamefully naive and careless, but nice all the same. He could see how it had been easy for Light to deceive his parents about being Kira. Light was an excellent actor and his parents didn't want to see anything but their consummate perfect son. Sachiko Yagami bowed to him and smiled as she let him in without even asking how he knew Light was home.
She called for Light twice but when he didn't answer, L told her he'd go get him himself. He knew the layout of the house from when he'd put the family under video surveillance, but in order to keep to his cover, he purposely knocked on Light's sister's door. It wouldn't do for the Yagami's to become suspicious, no matter how much he wanted to bolt straight for Light's room.
Why wouldn't he answer his own mother? Is he still in the house? Did he escape without Mogi seeing him go?
"Um . . .yes?" Sayu Yagami answered her door hesitantly as she eyed him suspiciously.
"Ah, I was looking for Light. I got the wrong door, I think." He said innocently.
"Yeah, his is next door." She said awkwardly, pointing to the closed door down the hall before closing her door and going back to her interrupted phone call, expounding loudly on just how "weird" her brother's friend who just showed up was.
He knocked on Light's door and waited, unconsciously holding his breath as anxiety welled up in him.
Silence.
He knocked again, his anxiety morphing into full blown panic. "Light?" He called.
No answer.
He tried the handle and found the door locked. Thankfully, he'd learned how to pick a lock from Wedy when he'd worked with her for the first time and he kept a pick disguised as a keychain with him at all times. One never knew when such things would become useful. It took him only a matter of seconds to bypass the lock, then he was rushing into the room only to find . . .
Light.
The teen was sprawled halfway between his chair and his bed. It rather looked like he'd originally been seated in the chair and had decided to transfer himself to the bed at some point only to give up halfway through the maneuver. His upper body was laying sideways across his bed, but his legs were still resting on the chair. Nestled between his elbow and rips was an open bottle of an amber liquid.
L wondered if he'd fallen unconscious, but the teen's eyes were open and he was staring at him.
"Ryuzaki? You missed me already? Or is it that you just don't trust me?" Light asked darkly, his entire countenance exuding malice. L wondered if Light was an angry drunk prone to violent altercations.
But the mood suddenly shifted and Light burst out laughing – real, genuine laughter – and he waved his hand, gesturing for the detective to enter. "Well, since you're here, you might as well join me." He said cheerfully as he raised the bottle. "You ought to like it, it should have a high enough sugar content for you, as it's made of sugarcane." He pushed himself up onto his elbows and kicked the chair L's way.
"You're drinking rum?" L asked, bewildered by the sudden mood change. "Straight?"
Light blinked and glanced down at the bottle in his hand then reached for a small glass sitting beside the bed and filled it. "I guess I am." He said as he raised the glass in cheers and dutifully downed it in one gulp. He winced and cleared his throat before filling the glass again and offering it to L.
L stared at the offering uncomprehendingly for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't drink."
"Then get out." Light said immediately.
"Excuse me?"
"I said, if you're not going to drink with me, you might as well leave." Light hissed, his mood swinging back to anger.
"I'd rather not." L hedged.
"It's not a matter of what you'd rather or rather not do, L. This is my house. More than that, this is my room. In this place, I make the rules. I'm the one in control. If you're not going to join me, you have no business being here. I've been at your mercy long enough. It's time for you to be at mine." Light explained in a clipped tone, the shot glass still held out in offering before him.
L frowned and took the glass. Trying to imitate Light, he gulped it down in one and nearly retched it all back up on the floor. It wasn't that he'd never indulged in liquors before, it was simply that he'd never been one for downing unmixed drinks. It burned all the way down his throat and he had to close his eyes against the sudden dizziness that emerged as he felt warmth flood his body.
He opened them again when he heard Light laughing - that same genuine sound that L didn't think he'd heard before that night. Light's laughter had always seemed contrived to him, even "Innocent-Light"'s laughter had always held a note of analytical restraint. But this was simple, unchecked laughter.
"You're face just flushed bright red. Come on, another." Light laughed, holding out his hand for the glass.
L reluctantly handed the glass back and Light once again filled it, swirling it a little before drinking the shot. He immediately filled it again and handed it back to L.
"Why are you doing this, Light? Why the alcohol?" L asked, taking the glass but not drinking it.
Light's gaze immediately darkened to a glare as his gaze zeroed in on the untouched drink. Honestly, the boy's intoxicated mood swings were going to give him whiplash. How was it possible that he could go from carefree and happy to angry and brooding so quickly?
"It just doesn't seem like you. I never pictured you as a drinker." L amended before downing the shot. In this situation, it was best to play Light's game. Mogi was probably long gone by now and if he was thrown out of the house by Light, he'd have to stick around outside until Mogi could get back to replace him. And being present in the room with Light was infinitely better for surveillance than waiting outside the house.
Light snorted disdainfully, "I don't think you know me as well as you think you do, L." He said as he reached over and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, revealing two bottles of sake.
Those weren't there when I placed video surveillance in the house. They would have been found when the bugs were being planted. Are they new? Did he buy those tonight and place them there to act as props on the chance that I'd show up here?
"Believe it or not, I did have a social life before this whole thing." Light mumbled, waving his hand between the two of them.
"What thing?" L asked, feigning misunderstanding.
Excellent. If I can get him talking about the Kira case, maybe he'll let something slip. He's consumed a lot more alcohol than is prudent for someone keeping dangerous secrets.
Light rolled his eyes. "The Kira case." He said exasperatedly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Is that what this is about? Are you still upset about the Higuchi incident?" L pressed.
"Of course I'm upset that Higuchi died." Light answered, pouring another drink.
Yes, he was definitely upset about Higuchi's death, but why? Had that whole incident not gone as planned? Was he grieving for a dead accomplice? Had he hoped to get Higuchi out of that alive? No, Light was the one who had killed him. He shouldn't be upset about Higuchi's death. So, then why? What 's going on here?
He waited until Light had finished his next drink before leaning forward in his seat. "Light, are you Kira?" He demanded, hoping to throw his opponent off balance in his inebriated state.
Instead, Light chuckled. "You're hoping to interrogate me while I'm under the influence? You ought to know better. Anything I could say would be inadmissible. I could claim that you led me to confess to a crime I didn't commit due to my intoxication."
"Not at all," L countered, "I just realized I hadn't asked you yet today. Are you going to answer?"
"You already know the answer to that question." Light rolled his eyes, slumping back lower against the bed.
What's this? No denial this time? Yes, I do know the answer, Light. I know that you are Kira.
"Was that a confession then?" L asked.
"No." Light replied blandly.
L felt a thrill of trepidation race up his spine as he analyzed Light's body language. Despite his relaxed appearance and half-lidded gaze, Light's eyes were still shrewd and calculating. He wasn't nearly as intoxicated as he should be. Nor was he as drunk as he was acting.
"Tonight, we're going to pretend that Kira never existed and we're just going to be two friends sharing a couple of drinks together. Does that sound alright to you?" Light said with a smile. "That means no more interrogations for tonight. That also means that you can stop looking at me like you're scared I'm going to suddenly get up and bludgeon you to death. Okay?"
You want me to let my guard down? You've got to be joking, Light? You know that I wont. Forget that Kira exists? It was only because I suspected you of being Kira that we became friends in the first place. What game are you playing with me now?
He'd made a critical error in ever engaging Light in this particular battle of wills. Light had had at least two drinks more than him already, probably more, but still seemed capable of thinking and interacting as he normally did. L on the other hand, could already feel the effects Light's rum was having on him. There was a faint buzzing in the back of his mind and even in his intoxicated state, he could tell that his thought processes were becoming more and more simplistic and sluggish.
Damn you, Light. But I can't win if I don't play the game, can I?
If nothing else, Light had proven that he possessed a remarkably high alcohol tolerance.
"That sounds . . . acceptable." L said reluctantly.
"Good. Then have another." Light smirked, holding out the glass again.
It took three more drinks sandwiched between awkward, slurring conversation before Light finally fell silent, sprawled across the bed. L's vision was blurred and he felt a definite wave of dizziness wash over him when he stood up to check on Light's condition. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. Asleep.
Perfect.
He stumbled over to Light's desk, almost tripping over the leg of the chair and began rifling through Light's things, searching for anything connected to a killer notebook.
Was the other notebook here? Would he have hidden it in his parents house? I don't think so. That would be too risky since he knows that I've already had people enter the house. Would he have left any clue behind about it's location? Or was the second notebook already destroyed? The shinigami had said that Light would lose his memories if the notebook was destroyed. Was that what had happened when he'd lost his memories the last time? No, how could he have achieved it from where he was being imprisoned. Had Rem helped him?
"You're snooping."
L nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped around, causing himself to almost overbalance and fall. Light, it seemed, wasn't asleep. He was laying on the bed, sprawled in the same position he'd been a minute ago but his eyes were open and still alert – if a little hazy.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were asleep."
"So it's alright to snoop so long as your host is unconscious?" Light asked. "Funny, I was never taught that. Is that an English custom?" The teen laughed then and shook his head. "You wont find anything incriminating. But, in penance for breaking my trust, I think you should have to finish this." Light said, holding up the almost empty bottle. There was still half an inch in the bottom.
"I don't think that's -"
"You do remember that I said I was the one in control here, right? I make the rules. I say you drink. Otherwise, I will feel absolutely no sympathy in throwing your drunken ass out on the street. Drink." Light ordered, waving the bottle in his direction.
L stared at the bottle in trepidation. If he drank that, he was almost certain that he would vomit. Then again, that might not be such a bad thing. A good round of retching into the toilet might sober him up a bit. And a few sacrifices to his dignity were worth it if he was able to maintain surveillance over Light.
"You're not a very lenient ruler, you know, Light." L grumbled as he took the bottle and brought it to his lips. His only objective in this game was to keep an eye on Light. He'd play the game, accede to Light's whims because it didn't really matter. As long as he was still present, he won. The only way he could lose was if Light kicked him out.
"I never claimed to be." Light replied with a Cheshire-cat grin.
Resigning himself to his fate, L tilted the bottle back and finished the bottle. Yes, he certainly felt nauseous and the room began to tilt at an alarming angle. He stumbled over to his chair and sat down quickly, the bottle slipping from his fingers as he grasped the seat of the chair, desperately hoping to ground himself. Logically, he knew it was impossible for the chair to be wavering like that, but his logic didn't really count for much at that moment when it felt like he was on a dinghy in rough waters.
He closed his eyes and leaned back, forcibly taking big gulps cool of air. It felt like the room had suddenly warmed ten or fifteen degrees. He felt like he was in an inferno. One breath. Another. His entire world narrowed to the simple practice of breathing and Light was forgotten completely until some time later when he felt hands on him.
Huh? I'm being frisked?
What was Light doing?
Oh, yeah. The notebook.
"You didn't think I'd bring it with me here, did you?" He mumbled. "You wont find it, Kira."
The hands froze in their movements and a long, low string of expletives escaped Light's mouth. L didn't think he'd ever heard Light swear even once before today. It seemed the teen had a temper that he preferred to hide.
A moment later, Light left the room. A half a minute after that, L heard the front door close and he forced his heavy limbs to move. He called Mogi and slurringly got him back on Light's tail. Then he called Watari and had him pick him up. The old man wasn't at all impressed with the state he was in.
AN: Wow! Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. I really appreciate all your support. About this chapter, I hope you don't think it's too out of character. It will be explained in the next chapter. Anyway, thanks so much for reading.
Have a great day!
Allora