Title: Enemy of the State
Author: hyperRme
Summary: The Shinigami are a notorious gang who kill criminals in the most mysterious ways. L is determined to take them down even if it means going undercover as a member and unintentionally falling in love with their leader.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rated: Mature
Pairing: L X Raito
Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata. I am neither one.
Warnings: Guy on guy romance, rape, death, kidnappings, etc.
Thanks for the reviews! They make me super incredibly happy. Keep them coming! In here starts the Light and L interaction.
Assassin – Muse
Whatever they say
These people are torn
Wild and bereft
Assassin is born
Light didn't know what to expect. After a week of isolation besides the once a day feeding time, Light had never seen his captors. He sat by himself trying to recall what had happened. He remembered being told his father was injured, being thrown into a car, blinding pain on the back of his head as he screamed to be let go, then waking up in this cell with his memories either fuzzy or gone completely. But today was different. The captors did not come at their normal time and they did not come with food. Number three had picked him up by the back of his shirt and literally dragged him out of the cell. He struggled to his feet but kept tripping.
They had reached a door and Light had been chucked inside. He skidded across the concrete floor and hissed in pain. The room was much brighter than Light had been used to and he covered his eyes with his arm. He had no time to adjust to the light and was picked up harshly by his hair. He stumbled to his feet, hoping to release some of the pain from his roots.
"Lookie, lookie. Our little Asian has his eyes even more squinty-er than normal!"
Light resisted the urge to scowl. His instincts told him to shut it at least until his eyes could bare the light. He didn't know how long it would take. He has been in a dimly lit room for a week.
"We haven't heard any word back on your ransom money." Number one sounded annoyed. "You'd think your father would care about you more."
He held his breath; he was torn between wanting to hear more about his father and not wanting to. How could his father not pay the ransom? Was he that unimportant to him? He wanted to strongly believe that his father loved him dearly but he had no memory of him. He could be as awful as these men for all he knew.
He opened his eyes a fraction. The room was concrete gray and nearly empty except for two handcuffs attached to the wall. He had a gut feeling that those chains were no good. His gut feeling increased as he was roughly pushed toward them. His bare feet scraped on the floor as he tried to resist.
"Look here, Light," Number one growled, "the sooner your ransom is paid, the sooner we'll let you leave. We brought you here to… speed up the process" Number three chuckled behind him.
The next thing he knew, he was strapped to the cuffs. He tried to move his arms but the restraints were nearly cutting off his blood flow to his wrists. Panic bubbled up inside him as he thrashed wildly. He kicked and twisted his body. Blood rolled down from his wrists, the handcuffs slicing him with every movement.
He stopped mid kick when his temple nearly exploded in terrible pain. Number three pulled his fist back and smirked at him. Light was breathing heavily, stunned. His mouth tasted awful and he spat. His senses rushed back to him at the sight of his blood on the ground.
"Now do you see what I mean?" Number one asked. "If you cooperate, we'll only need to do this once before sending your picture to your dear daddy." He turned to his two companions and muttered: "He just needs a little push is all."
Light's head was killing him. Was this the worst pain he's ever experienced? His head hurt him when he woke up but that was a dull aching pain. His stomach hurt often but it felt better after eating, even if only a little. His body hurt from sleeping on concrete but it was more of a stiff-joint ache. This pain from his head was nothing like those past experiences. Is this just the beginning?
His body tensed up when Number one and three looked at him. The look in their eyes spelt danger and greed. Number two was looking at anything but him.
Number one opened his mouth; Number two squeezed his eyes shut; Number three pulled back his fist; Light screamed.
His world went black as his body drowned in a tidal wave of excruciating pain.
0o0
L listened as Kira closed the hotel room door and walked down the hallway. He didn't move until he saw the killer through the cameras in the alleyway. He was calm as he began to lead the discussion on the new member. He had very good looks, L thought. His brown hair and light chestnut eyes were rare in Japan but he didn't look like he was anything less than one hundred percent Japanese. He was tall, as tall as L was, and his body was very slim. He talked using simple movements with his hands. The man in glasses next to him began to talk. He was very against the idea of L joining. L decided that he didn't like this messy haired man. He looked too uptight and the way he kept eyeballing Light would make one believe he was smitten with him. He spotted another man with bright red hair and green goggles. He leaned against the bakery wall and played on his handheld gaming system. L wondered if he was truly paying attention or if he was totally lost in his game world.
There were two girls with them as well. He recognized them both. Misa-Misa was a famous model and actress. He figured the only reason she was a Shinigami is because of the way she shamelessly throws out how "super incredibly awesome and caring" Kira is. It definitely wasn't for her IQ. Kiyomi Takada was more reserved than Misa and kept her mouth shut during the meeting while Teru and Misa yelled at each other. Kira quickly calmed them down with less than five words.
He stared at Raye who fidgeted back and forth in his feet. He automatically felt terrible about sending him in there. He had asked Raye, a very good member of the F.B.I., if he would spy on the Shinigami as a member of their group. He didn't look too pleased about it but complied for the sake of his fiancé and his future children. It wasn't too hard to get him in. Raye wrote on Kira's wall that he desperately wanted to be a Shinigami and protect the young. Two days later, Kira had come in contact with him and Raye was in. Although, L grumbled slightly, Raye never had to kill anyone to join.
He watched as Raye jump when he was asked a question. He mumbled his answer so low the microphones on the camera couldn't pick them up. L frowned. This guy didn't deserve to die. He had a fiancé who cursed L's very being for putting him up to this and a beautiful future with this girl. L had a mind to play dumb and shoot that messy haired glasses man instead. He knew, though, that Kira knew exactly who the spy was and if he killed the wrong guy, he would be gone as well.
Honestly, it was stupid now that he thought about it. While Raye was in the Shinigami, giving him useless report after useless report, L came up with a theory that Kira killed by himself. Raye never knew when Kira was going to kill and when he asked the other members they simply said that he works at night. L had no clue how Kira killed but he knew that he didn't have to be near them in order to kill them. L did not believe in the supernatural but he had to admit Kira worked in super freaky ways.
L glanced at the time. It was almost twelve thirty. He had to be there within the next ten minutes. He watched once more as Raye subconsciously played with the zipper on his coat and inched farther away from the enthusiastic blonde model. He didn't want to do this. He didn't know if he could do this. He looked at Kira. His eyes were cold and guarded. L took in a deep breath and walked out of the hotel room. He had vowed that he would always solve a case. That promise had been broken once and it will never happen again. Even if he had to pull the trigger.
He turned up right on time. He slumped into the alleyway and kept his hands in his pockets. He was freezing but tried not to show it. His hair blew wildly in the wind and he did nothing to stop it. He stopped right next to Kira and looked at the group. One was glaring at him, two were watching in disgust, one was neutral, and the other was in half fear, half relief.
Oh yes, he thought, he was definitely going to get along well with this group.
L raised a hand in greeting, "Hello. I am Beyond Birthday but please call me Ryuuzaki."
They all mumbled a half hearted response. He remembered that Kira had told them to treat him with respect when he was in the hotel room. Clearly, they don't listen very well.
"Now, Ryuuzaki," Kira said, turning to him, "each Shinigami member has a role. While you were watching the video footage, were you able to determine what their jobs were?"
The Shinigami looked stunned at the mention of the video footage. "You were taping us?" Takada asked.
"Why wasn't I in on this?" Mikami questioned.
Kira simply held up his hand and they snapped their mouths shut with a frown. L pointed to each member. "The two females, Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada, are for public announcements. They spread Kira's ideas. You had said that the annoying guy in the glasses-"
"Hey!"
"- was a spy who watches possible criminals. The guy with the video game wasn't mentioned but he's really into that video game and I can see a few wires sticking out of his pocket so I assume he's a hacker. The quiet guy with the short black hair wasn't mentioned a lot either so I'm guessing he's the errand boy." The girls and Teru chuckled and Raye bowed his head slightly. "Light-kun, you told me you were Kira. Before joining, I had a theory that Kira killed by himself. That is why I had no one else labeled as a killer until you."
Kira smirked, "You're pretty good at deducing roles, Ryuuzaki. Though, Misa and Kiyomi really weren't that hard to figure out. But what I want to know is if you figured out the question I asked you previously?"
L was secretly hoping Light would have forgotten about it. He took a deep breath through his nose. "I believe I have, Light-kun."
There was a nasty looking grin on Kira's face as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a handheld gun. L willed his hand to stop shaking as he took the offered weapon.
"Light-sama!" Mikami cried. "What are you doing?"
They looked fearful. Every single one of them looked at the gun in his hand with in shock and horror. Misa clutched her hands to her shoulders, as if protecting herself. Kiyomi clenched her fists and her body shook. Teru took a few steps back, his breathing labored. Raye yelped and cowered behind his arms. The video game red head held his hands up in the air and said, "Dude, man, woah."
L looked at the gun in his hands. This was not the first time he had ever shot a gun before and it was not the first time he had shot someone before. But that shot had been to the arm, to stop the man from running away; this shot was to kill. He had never killed anyone first hand. Sending someone to death row and shooting someone with the gun in your hand are two completely different things. He didn't know if he was strong enough to pull the trigger.
Kira was watching him closely. His eyes narrowed as L stared at the gun. He said nothing.
L looked up and glanced over the Shinigami once more. They held their breath, closely watching his every move. He grasped the handle and moved his index finger toward the trigger. He held the gun up and everyone flinched, taking a step back. He aimed the gun at Teru, who ducked, and moved over everyone's head. He stopped at the spy.
Raye had tears running down his cheeks. He kept whispering 'No, no, please, no'. L hesitated then mouthed 'Sorry' and pulled the trigger.
The gun shot rang clear and loud. The sound bounced off of the police and bakery walls before it escaped over the town. Light smiled at Ryuuzaki. He knew he could do it. He wordlessly took the gun from the still man and pocketed it. He nodded at his Shinigami. Their eyes held fear and their bodies were frozen stiff. Soon, they broke out of their daze and followed Light out of the alleyway. He looked back to see Ryuuzaki staring at Raye's fallen body.
"Are you coming, Ryuuzaki?"
The man slowly tore his eyes away and shuffled his feet toward him. Light patted him on the back, "Welcome to the Shinigami."
Ryuuzaki simply nodded and followed silently the rest of the way home.
Light paid no attention to his quiet comrades. He was too busy thinking about tomorrow's newspaper. How the police will find a man's dead body soaking in his own blood three feet from their station and how a message from Kira appeared on the wall between the police station wall covered with words and the blank wall of the bakery.
"Kira will prevail."
Light flicked on the light. Ryuuzaki flinched at the sudden brightness and said nothing. "This is your room," he said as the dark haired man threw his small duffle bag on the single bed. "Yours and Matt's are the only bedrooms on the ground floor. Be thankful. Misa and Kiyomi share a bedroom upstairs and they never stop yelling at each other. Down here you can't hear them as well." Ryuuzaki started to unpack. He pulled out numerous amounts of plain white shirts and faded blue jeans. He also unpacked underwear, a computer, and at least twenty chocolate bars. Light noticed he did not bring socks or any other shoes besides the ratty looking ones on his feet.
"The kitchen is to your right," Light continued, "and the bathroom is across the hall."
Ryuuzaki nodded and unwrapped two Milky Ways. Light stood there for a moment before turning on his heel and leaving. Teru was waiting for him outside his room. His arms were crossed and he had a deep frown on his face. Light scowled, "Teru, I am not in the mood tonight. Please just go to bed."
"No, Light-sama. It's about that Beyond Birthday!" Teru insisted, following Light into his room.
"Ryuuzaki, Teru."
"Beyond Birthday, Ryuuzaki, whatever the hell you want to call him, is a phony!" Light turned and faced him. "I mean it! I went spying around and asked a bunch of criminals if they've ever heard of him and they say he's bad news! He's sneaky, very intelligent, and cold hearted!"
"Which is preciously why I let him join. If he's planning on getting sneaky to us, we'll catch him. Don't worry about it. I knew the risks coming in here."
"No! It's not that! They call him a murderer who enjoys killing way too much. He kills people all the time."
"So? Do you think he'll kill us in our sleep?"
"You didn't see him, did you? When he had that gun?" Teru whispered. "He looked at that gun with fear. He stared at it for a while. Much longer than an expert murderer would do. His finger hesitated when it was on the trigger. And I saw him mouth 'Sorry' to Raye before he shot him."
"Sorry?"
"Yeah, sorry. Someone like him should not be mouthing 'sorry' to people he's about to kill. It's either he always tells them sorry before killing them or he knows Raye and felt bad about killing him."
"That makes sense. And if he knew Raye, he would have to kill him because I knew who the spy was and if he didn't kill the right person, I could easily kill him. He knows I know he's smart enough to figure it out."
Teru pushed up his glasses and looked at him dead on, "Light-sama, I do not trust this guy at all. I don't want him in here. It's either he's a sneaky, intelligent, cold hearted murdering bastard who could betray us in a second or he's a spy undercover as someone more useful than Raye."
"I agree it's suspicious but I'm willing to take the chance. We could really need him. I'm not going to toss him out because he might apologize to all his victims."
"I don't trust him! I don't want him in here!" Teru hissed. "He may try to kill us in our sleep or he could go straight to the police now that he knows our location. We're only a fifteen minute walking distance! They'll be on our case faster than you would believe."
Light smirked, "They've got other problems to worry about right now."
"Wha…?" Teru stopped and snapped his mouth shut with an audible click. "Light-sama… why did you have Ryuuzaki kill Raye? Was he really a spy?"
"I believe so, yes." Teru didn't answer. "I didn't want any more members, so when Kiyomi said that she offered Beyond Birthday a spot, I got angry. Then I thought about how valuable he could be and how useless Raye is and my suspicion of him being a spy. So I thought why not put Beyond Birthday through a test to not only see if he could find out who is the spy but also if he could indeed kill in cold murder in front of us."
"You put our lives on the line."
"All of our lives are on the line," Light said quietly. He walked to his desk and looked outside the window. Through the bare trees and over the college buildings, he could see bright lights flashing. There were no college students half hanging out their window to try and get a look or on the roads. He closed his binds.
"What if he shot the wrong one?" Teru was equally quiet. "What if he shot me?"
"Then I would have killed him. If he wasn't smart enough to figure out Raye's the spy from watching our video then he's not smart enough to take down L."
"Light…"
"Look, if he makes you nervous then I'll restrain him," Light turned and faced him. He crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. "I'll make him my servant until he proves his loyalty."
"You can't do that!" Teru shouted.
"Why not?" Light narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who doesn't trust him. You're the one who told me to keep an eye on him. And what better way than having him be my servant?"
"B-but… never mind," he grumbled. "I'm going to bed. Is there anything you need?"
"No, no, go ahead." Teru frowned and left. Light, not in the mood to kill, flopped on his bed, planning on staring at his ceiling for the next five hours.
L flinched when Kira hit the light switch. The room was plainer than he kept his office. There was a small single bed with a light blue blanket, a wooden dresser, a bookshelf with five books, a closet, and a nightstand. The walls were white and dark blue curtains covered the only window. He shuffled to the bed and dumped his small duffle bag.
"This is your room," Kira said behind him. He ignored the man; he was too angry right now. "Yours and Matt's are the only bedrooms on the ground floor. Be thankful. Misa and Kiyomi share a bedroom upstairs and they never stop yelling at each other. Down here you can't hear them as well."
He obviously didn't know when he wasn't wanted, L thought with a roll of his eyes. He unzipped his bag and pulled out his clothes. He only brought what he was absolutely necessary and items that could easily be replaced if he had to make a quick getaway. This was before he knew that the Shinigami were just a bunch of teenagers, probably younger than himself. He was more worried about them being stolen or ruined as a prank. Bringing his computer was a gamble. Without it, L would have no connection to Watari or the heirs. If Kira decided he needed to scan through it first, he had a fake profile to cover his real one. He didn't know if Kira had any hacking abilities but he knew for a fact that that goggles kid did. He could probably find the real profile with only a small amount of difficulty.
"The kitchen is to your right." L wanted to groan. Is he still here? "And the bathroom is across the hall."
He nodded and unwrapped two Milky Ways. He shoved one in his mouth. He couldn't think of a time he ever needed sugar more than he did right now. He heard footsteps on the creaky staircase and he looked over his shoulder. With a small sigh, he closed the door as softly as he could. He glanced at his bed. It was covered in his clothes. They were all folded up nicely, courtesy of Watari. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself on the bed and sleep this nightmare off. But he wasn't tired.
Cursing his insomnia, he picked up the pile of folded shirts and opened the top drawer. He dropped his shirts when he found wrinkle free button up shirts sitting innocently inside. He kicked the dresser as hard as he could. There was a small thump from behind the dresser. Finding a small space between the wall and the dresser, there was a black book no bigger than the size of his hand. He picked it up and flipped it open. Inside was a picture of Naomi Misora. L had never seen her so happy before. He flipped the page and there was another picture of her and one of her and her fiancé.
L felt sick looking at their happy faces. His stomach was all in knots and his throat closed up seeing Raye alive and hugging his future wife. He chucked the album at the wall, knocking the lamp off the desktop. It shattered across the wooden floor.
He had killed a human being. He had committed murder. He was no better than Kira himself. He had pulled the trigger to a man's head. A man with a wife and a future. He was dead. Dead by his hands. He wanted to curl up in a ball and wake up fourteen years ago when life was nothing more than reading books in an empty library near the orphanage.
Forcing himself to his feet, L found the bottom drawer empty and shoved all of his clothes inside. The closet was unoccupied as well but he never had the patience to hang clothes so he left it empty. He opened his laptop and sent a quick email to Watari explaining not to worry and to check the morning newspaper on the recent happenings. After shutting down his computer, L flopped down on his bed, planning on staring at the ceiling for the next couple of hours.
With a loud curse, Naomi stumbled out of bed and threw open the door. "What?" she hissed. Don't her friends all ready know not to bother with her until she's had her third cup of coffee? She looked at the people and they were definitely not her friends. "O-oh! I'm sorry. I just woke up," she laughed nervously. Thank God she decided to wear sweatpants and t-shirt to bed last night.
"Are you Miss Naomi Misora?" one asked. Without her contacts, she could just barely make out the police badge the one man held up. She rubbed her eyes fiercely and moved closer. It was, in fact, a police badge.
And that could only mean one thing.
"O-oh no, no, no, no…" she whimpered. "Please, don't…"
The police officer held his head down, "I'm sorry, Miss Misora. But…"
"No!" she screamed. "Don't tell me he's dead! He can't be dead!" Tears poured down her face and she quickly wiped them. "He told me he'd come home! H-he p-p-promised…" Her knees caved out from under her and Naomi collapsed, crying hysterically until her elderly neighbor gently helped her to her bed.
"Raye! Raye!"
WOAH CRAZY INSANE WHO DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING? No seriously, it was kinda obvious who was dying. Anyway, big events coming up!
First: Happy Birthday, frnight! This chapter is dedicated to you! Lol it's a retarded birthday gift but whatever.
Second: I'm freaking graduating! OMG NO WAY. I can't freaking wait.
Third: MY FIRST EVER ANIME CONVENTION OMG YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! Seriously, I cannot tell you how excited I am to be going to Otakon! I'm cosplaying as Misa cause it's easy.
That's it for my life. So you'll review now, right?