Chapter 7

A New Game

Light wasn't sure what the hell he had been thinking when he'd decided to actually partake of the alcohol he'd intended to use as an accelerant to burn Ryuk's notebook. It had been a stupid idea and had nearly cost him everything. He should have known L would show up after he'd noticed Mogi tailing him when he'd come out of the liquor store. And plying L with liquor in hopes of getting his hands on the Death Note had been an even stupider idea, though that one he could at least partially blame on the mind-clouding effects of the alcohol.

In retrospect, he should have just made a break for it and tried to burn the notebook with or without Mogi following him. He would have been caught, but at least one of the notebooks would have been destroyed. And he could always bargain with L and the other investigators to destroy the other one. Couldn't he?

Could he rely on his silver-tongue to persuade them that much? Yes, he was certain that he could do that. L was a mostly rational person after all. With a little persuasion, the detective would be pushing for the destruction of the notebooks too.

He glanced out his bedroom window, wincing as his bleary eyes came into contact with the bright morning sunlight, and noticed Aizawa parked in front of the neighbor's house.

Honestly, you would think they'd have more respect for my intelligence by now. Am I really not supposed to see him there? Do they really think that after working with the man for the last several months that I would fail to recognize him?

He sighed. He'd noticed Mogi following him the night before after he'd left the house too. It seemed that he was to be under constant surveillance again. It was annoying and it limited his movements. How was he supposed to win with L's people following him all the time?

Of course, that's L's plan. Does he mean for me to see them? Probably. If he didn't want me to know I was being watched, he'd probably send someone like Wedy. Is he hoping I'll panic? He's playing a dangerous game if he knows I've already killed Raye Penber for following me. But he should know I don't act without thinking things through first.

The memory of the bottle of rum from the previous evening floated into his mind and he grimaced.

Okay, so I usually think things through first. What the hell was I thinking last night? There's a reason those bottles of sake I got from Takada for graduation have remained unopened and untouched. I can't afford to risk losing my control even for a second right now. There's too much at stake for that. I guess it's a good thing that I used to practice drinking with some of my classmates to boost my tolerance in order to keep up my perfect facade. There's nothing less attractive than watching your class valedictorian puking his guts out.

So then, what was the next step? How could he destroy the notebooks?

L was obviously on alert now, so it would be next to impossible to steal the notebook. Even if he wanted to attempt another theft, he didn't know where L was keeping it. He could have multiple decoys. In fact, Light would bet that there was more than just one decoy Death Note floating around headquarters.

If he knew L – and he liked to think he did – he would bet that there was a notebook with Watari and L at all times. He may even have trusted some of the other investigators with fakes in order to throw off another attempted theft. L seemed to trust Mogi the most out of all of the Japanese investigators – that is, if L trusted anyone but himself. Would he give a decoy to Mogi? Or possibly the real thing because it would be one of the last places he would look.

And speaking of the last place I would look for it. Would he give one to Matsuda? He's gone on the offensive now, so I have to be careful.

But if it was impossible to get his hands on the real Death Note, how was he going to win? How was he going to beat L and destroy the notebooks before the detective decided to test it? It didn't help that L was rushing him by insisting on testing the notebook. He was sure that with enough time and enough careful consideration he'd be able to come up with something that didn't result in his immediate capture. And also something that didn't compromise Misa.

I can't forget that I also have to protect Misa. L's not the only one who has to come out of this unscathed. But if L keeps investigating, he's bound to find something to incriminate Misa eventually anyway. She's never been the most cautious. If she had been, she wouldn't have been arrested in the first place. So, in order to make sure she gets away with all the murders she commit, I need to control the flow of information. Some how . . .

Light froze. Was that it? He'd already accepted that he was most likely going to die in this venture. L was on the offensive now and he really couldn't afford to just play defensively right now. He didn't have the time. He needed to act, regardless of the consequences. And really, what were the consequences he was afraid of? What was worse than death?

The only thing that mattered now was protecting L and Misa. It was unfortunate that they were on opposite sides, but he could still win if he put into action this newest plan.

I wonder if it's smart to be making life or death decisions with a hangover?

He brushed the thought away. In any case, he was out of time. L was probably back at headquarters writing out his hypotheses and procedures for the experiments he wanted to perform on the Death Note. Light's lips twitched into an amused smirk.

Or he's nursing a killer hangover.

He chuckled softly as he began dressing for the day and thought about exactly what he would need to do and say. L would assume that he wanted to live - that he would do anything to live - so L would never expect it. It was uncharacteristic. But then again, breaking into L's vault had been uncharacteristic of him as well. He frowned. He still needed to figure out just how L had known that he was going after the Death Note in the vault.

He knew for a fact that the hallway was unbugged. It would make no sense to put listening devices outside of a bathroom. Inside, maybe, but not outside. And yet, L had obviously known that he was going to attempt to steal the notebook. His bet was that L had installed some kind of secret programming onto Light's laptop that had eluded his notice and had caught him in the act of researching how to break into a vault. That was the most reasonable explanation and definitely up L's alley. Given the choice, L would always do something remotely via computer than in person.

Will L believe this new plan? After all, I have done something like this before. But then, I had always intended to get out of it unscathed. This time I wont be able to escape. Not unless L is a whole lot softer than I think he is. No, I doubt that. He's sworn to do whatever it takes to bring Kira to justice. His entire career's reputation is on the line. Not to mention his ideal of true justice. There's no way he'll just let me get away with it. And if he can't see a means for me to escape, then he's more likely to believe it, isn't he? But there wasn't much of a chance of me getting away last time, either. We'll have to see. And I still have my trump card.

He straightened his tie and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair. There was no point in looking bad for this, even if he felt like he'd been hit by a truck a few times. He wasn't going to bother in making a vow never to drink again, however. He probably wouldn't live that long anyway.

He took public transit downtown and walked to headquarters. The streets were busy like usual and he thought it was strange that he could walk amongst them – probably for the last time – without them knowing who and what he was. He wondered, if they had known, how they would treat him? Would it really matter? So many of the masses were apathetic to the world around them. It was why the world was in such a disgusting state. And many of the rest had approved of what he'd been doing.

It's pointless thinking about this. I'm not a hero. And I'm certainly not a god.

The command center was quiet when he entered. That usual awkward silence that occurred when everyone was absorbed in their own work. The kind of silence that made you embarrassed when you broke it. Matsuda smiled and waved, revealing the outline of something small and flat hidden under his shirt.

So he did make multiple copies. I knew he would. And he gave one to Matsuda too. Would L give the real one to Matsuda knowing that he was the one that Light knew L trusted the least?

Light hesitated. He was certain that he could get the notebook from Matsuda, either through negotiation or force. Matsuda liked him and didn't suspect him in the least. But L knew him too well. L knew that he'd try to exploit their weakest link. Was he using Matsuda as bait then? Did L hope that he'd try to take it from Matsuda?

It doesn't matter. I can't afford to go chasing after another fake. And even if Matsuda is carrying the real Death Note, I'd probably have to incapacitate him to get my hands on it. As easy to charm as Matsuda is, he wont just let me take something he's been charged with watching over. He might let me see it, but he wont let me take it away from him.

No. He wasn't going to take L's bait. Now was not the time to play L's game. If he'd had more time, if L wasn't pressuring him to act by insisting on testing the notebook, he would probably have indulged L in this new battle of wits. L had to know he was Kira. And Light knew that he knew. This made the game more interesting than it had been when he'd merely been suspected of being Kira. It would have been a challenge, dancing on the edge of Justice's blade, knowing that one single mistake would see him caught.

All that L needs is a single piece of conclusive evidence against me. He's probably enjoying this. He's probably reveling in the thrill of the hunt. It's a shame that I'll have to bring his fun to an end. He's certainly not going to like this. The only thing worse than losing is when your opponent refuses to play at all. Forfeit doesn't mean victory for the last man standing. Forfeit means that your victory has been taken from you, that you don't get to win.

He paused as Aizawa entered the command center. Apparently he'd been following close behind. He raised a cup of coffee from a nearby shop in one hand in salute to protect his cover and moved to his regular seat.

"Watari, would you please restrain my father for a moment." Light said as he slowly unfastened his watched and set it on the nearest desk. "I have something important to say."

The old man paused in the process of serving L a piece of cake and glanced at his employer. L frowned and spun his seat around to face Light, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He nodded almost imperceptibly and Watari moved to restrain Light's father, producing a pair of handcuffs from inside his waistcoat.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, old chap." Watari said quietly as he clicked the cuffs around one wrist and gently pulled it behind Soichiro's back.

"What's going on here?" Soichiro demanded. "What's the meaning of this? Light, why -"

This is it. I've got to play the part perfectly.

". . . I am Kira."

AN:

Wow! Thanks so much to all my readers. I've had some of the kindest reviews ever! Sorry to leave this one at a cliffhanger, but I needed the continuation of this conversation to take place from L's pov and I hate switching pov's mid-chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!

Have a great day!

Allora