Chapter 25: From One Life to Another

When Light woke up, it was dark. He blinked sleepily at the unfamiliar room. Hadn't he fallen asleep in the living room? Where was he? He tried to get up, but there was something warm on top of him, keeping him in place. He glanced down, and got a face full of soft raven-colored hair. Oh. Right.

They had pushed all the furniture to the walls of the room, leaving the center open and causing someone who didn't see it clearly to believe he was in a completely different place. After recovering for two days, L gave Light a Christmas present in the form of finally getting around to teaching him capoeira. It had been exhausting.

xXx

"You're doing fine, Light! You've at least gotten the ginga stance down." L said, smiling. Light rolled his eyes.

"L, that's the easiest move in the entire martial art! That doesn't mean anything!" They had been practicing for at least an hour and a half, and with no room to do any au or a real roda, L had been teaching him basic kicks and defensive positions.

L moved to the center of the room. "It is said that a capoerista's skill can be measured by how well he can perform the meia lua de compasso kick." When Light looked at him blankly, he added, "The one I keep using to kick you across the room, Light." Effortlessly he shifted his weight to one foot, sweeping his arm to aid him in turning and propelling his foot almost straight up. He completed the spin and landed back on both feet. "No hands, Light." he teased. "I'm one of the best."

"I want to try!" Light protested. He tried to mimic what L had done, turning on one foot and kicking back, but overbalanced as he tried to finish the spin and landed hard on his butt.

L came over, laughing quietly, and offered him a hand. "Less than two hours of practice versus years, Light. I fell down at first too."

xXx

When the capoeira lesson had finished, both had simply collapsed on the couch. Light realized that they had likely fallen asleep, and smiled fondly. L was sprawled on top of him, his breath slow and even against Light's collarbone. As Light watched, he blinked sleepily and looked up.

"That was more tiring that I thought." he said, smiling.

"I was just getting ready to wake you up." Light said. "You won't sleep tonight if we nap now."

"Too late." L said, sitting up. "I feel very awake now. What time is it?"

"Nine, at least. We should be getting ready to go to bed, not sleeping on the couch. I gave up sleeping on the couch after you finally took off those handcuffs." Light said, referencing the many times he had gone to sleep while L stayed up and worked on the Kira Case.

"But Light, I'm not tired!" L whined. Light considered him for a moment, and grinned.

"Well, then… I'll just have to make you tired."

xXx

When Light awoke the next morning, he was curved around L, one arm draped over the other boy's waist. L had willingly gone to sleep after a while, and was now snuggled contentedly against Light beneath the covers. Light kissed the nape of his neck and relaxed back into his pillow, not ready to get up yet. He found himself absently considering Taro Kagami. Near had allowed the boy to go free, realizing that Taro wasn't a bad person. He was a misled child who knew that what he had done was wrong, and Near recognized that. Light realized that it was lucky that Near knew of the influence the notebook had over him, or he might be sitting in prison with Emi right now. The girl had been convicted for being brainwashed into following Kira. She would serve life in prison for the murders she had caused. She hadn't been upset, needing time to recover from Drevan's death and to come to terms with what she had done. She knew that prison was the consequence of her actions.

There was still a measure of guilt for what he had put L through, that week of imprisonment in Drevan's house. Even if he had saved L's life in the end, he still felt bad for putting them in that situation in the first place.

"If I had lost you…" he whispered into his sleeping boyfriend's ear, "I don't know what I would have done…" He closed his eyes, trying to imagine a world without L, but found himself unable to. But like he told L sometime last night as they waited for sleep, it didn't matter anymore. They were alive, and together, and that was all that they needed.

Light's attention was distracted as L murmured something in his sleep, shifting slightly. His eyes opened, and Light smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning…" L replied, yawning. "What's going on today?"

Light considered for a moment. "Hmm… Well, I was going to give you your Christmas present…" L tensed involuntarily, and Light's expression softened. "A real Christmas present, L. And I promise it's not cake."

"Really?" L asked.

"Really. If it is, I give you permission to kick me across the room again."

L blinked, and nodded. Light had to be telling the truth, because being kicked would definitely aggravate all the bruises from yesterday, and that would hurt quite a lot. He followed Light's example, getting up and dressed before following the auburn-haired boy into the living room.

Light picked up a brightly wrapped package that was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, presenting it to L. L sat down on the end of the sofa, raising an eyebrow and beginning to pick the paper off. When it lay open in his hands, he stared down in surprise.

It was a book, a rather nice hardback one. The title read Personal Nightmare. L flipped it open, puzzled, and began to read the inside of the book jacket. It was about a policeman whose family was killed by a serial murderer. Knowing that the policeman was after him for revenge, the murderer continued to taunt and pick at him, leaving him notes and clues, but never enough. L was intrigued. It seemed interesting, unlike many other crime novels he had read. He looked up at Light, wondering where the other had gotten the book.

"I've read it before. The writing style is really unique." Light said, smiling. "I thought you would like it. The co-authors apparently write in tandem, one as killer, and one as investigator, to make the dialogue more believable."

"Thank you, Light…" L said, closing the cover to look at the front again. He glanced at the authors' names, and froze. No way… Unlikely, but not unbelievable…

"L, what is it?" Light asked.

L began to laugh quietly, setting the book on the table where it would be out of the way. Light sat down next to the laughing raven-headed boy, wondering what was so funny. L smiled widely, and said, "That's a story for another time, Light… But a very important one. Let me read my book first, and see if it merits telling you this very important story."

Light nodded, hooking his arms around L's waist and pulling the other into his lap. "That's fine. Is it the past again?"

L nodded. "A very important piece of the past… Something that ultimately helped to shape how I was when you met me. It was the reason why I was Ryuzaki." He looked up at Light, smiling softly. "I do not understand… how this could have happened… In our past lives, neither of us would have even tried to achieve something like this." He waved an arm to indicate the apartment, as well as himself in Light's arms. "But here we are, in a situation neither of us ever would have anticipated then. If you had told me that one day I would be reincarnated and fall in love with you, I would have called you crazy. Probably would have found a way to accuse you of being Kira, too."

Light smiled as well. "We were too far apart, then. Killer and investigator, with an ocean called Kira between us. But that's not what I find strange." He leaned his head on L's. "What I don't get is how, from one life to another, you're still the most important thing in my world."

L leaned up to kiss him, before resting his head against his chest comfortably. "You are too. To me." He was quiet a moment, then said easily, "I love you, Light."

"I love you too, Lawliet. Forever."

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What was I asked? Something about a happy, Disney-fied ending? Whatever. I like happy endings, so sue me. :)

Believe it or not, L and Light aren't even in the epilogue!

ONE MORE...
Li