March 12th: Light Builds Mount Manga (Which is taller than Mount Fuji)

"Go ahead, enjoy your date with Misa," L insisted. "A few hours won't make any difference in this case."

Light frowned slightly. "That's fine," he muttered, feeling Misa's arm wrap around his. "But I'll only be gone for a few hours, and no more."

"Come on, Light!," squealed Misa. "We don't wanna be late for the movie!" She gently pulled him towards the door. "I swear if we miss the beginning I'm not going to watch it."

"Okay, okay," Light said. L noticed the fleeting kill me expression he had before replacing it with a plastic smile. "I'll be back in-"

"Bye, everyone!" Misa had pulled him out the door before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

There was a brief moment of silence. "Well," L finally said. "I thought they would never leave."

"Why is that?," Matsuda asked. "You usually aren't so eager to have one less person working on the case."

A small smirk grew on L's lips. "Well, you see, Matsuda," he quietly began. "There has been something that has been bothering me about Light- Kun's behavior for a while now, and I intend to get to the bottom of it, as I do for everything I do not understand."

Matsuda tilted his head. "What?"

L's raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you haven't noticed?"

Matsuda leaned in closer, suddenly dying to know what it could possibly be. "No! What is it? What?"

L pointed towards a closed door. "This door, Matsuda. The door. Light- Kun has been obsessing over this door for several days. Always keeping it locked, never letting anyone see inside. Acting very suspiciously."

Matsuda's eyes widened in fascination. "What's in there?"

"Don't you think I would have said something if I had figured it out?," L snapped. "However, I plan to do so before he gets home."

"And," Matsuda eagerly continued. "How will you do that?"

L stood up and approached the door. "It's mind- blowingly simple, Matsuda," he presumptuously purred, revealing a paper clip and a pen cap. "Mind- blowingly. Simple."

"It is?"

L ignored the tedious question, and kneeled down in front of the door. It took him less than an estimated eleven seconds to pick the lock. It was a far cry from his personal record of four point two seconds, but it would certainly suffice in this scenario.

He held the doorknob in his right hand. "Touta Matsuda. Are you ready to witness the secrets behind this door?"

Matsuda nodded vigorously, sweat forming on his forehead. "I- I think so."

"Me too," L said. He paused dramatically. "Okay, I'm goin' in. Ready? 3... 2... "

He heard Matsuda swallow loudly before he swung the door open, and was immediately hit by an onslaught of white light.

"Ryuzaki!," exclaimed Matsuda, in a panic. "I- I can't see!"

"Neither can I!" The light was too bright. "Just wait until your eyes adjust to it." Slowly, L was able to open his eyes to a squint, and eventually could fully see. "I can open my eyes," he declared, and looked up. He paled. "Oh my God."

"What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"I... Don't... KNOW." What was this? He only knew what it looked like. "I think it's his manga collection," L decided.

"Dirty manga?"

"No."

"Children's manga?"

"No."

"Is this manga embarrassing in any way?" Matsuda asked, sounding a little flustered.

L clenched his teeth, still in horror and awe of the scene before him. "J- Just open your eyes, Matsuda. You can do it."

"Then why would Light-"

"Open your eyes," L suddenly demanded.

Matsuda jumped. "Okay!," he obliged. He slowly opened his eyelids, and his face contorted in utter confusion. "I... Don't... Ryuzaki, I'M SCARED!"

L wished to comfort Matsuda, but there were two reasons why he couldn't. First, he had no idea how to comfort people. Second, he was terrified himself.

Looming before him was a literally glowing mountain of manga. Somehow, the ceiling had disappeared, and the walls certainly stretched farther than the length of several buildings, so that the mountain seemed infinitely large. Looking up, he could not even see the peak. "Matsuda," L shakily whispered. "I would estimate that Light's manga collection is... taller than Mount Fuji."

Matsuda's mouth dropped open. "Taller than Mount Fuji?! How is that possible?"

"We have broken the limits set by possibility long ago, Matsuda," L said breathily, still gazing upon Mount Manga. "Whether or not any of this is possible is far out of the question now."

Matsuda's blatant panic grew by the second. "Let's go, Ryuzaki." He inched backwards. "Maybe we can just ask Light about this."

"Ask? We are beyond asking now. We are in acting mode."

At this, Matsuda's face fell.

L stared up, trying to catch a glimpse of the peak of Mount Manga, however, it was shrouded in clouds. "We are going to climb Mount Manga."

Matsuda's face shrunk in despair. "Climb it? But- but how?"

A simple but daunting question indeed. How. L mulled over this for a moment.

Matsuda's voice interrupted his thoughts. "It must be very difficult for Light to reread his manga. I mean, if it were at the top, he would have to accomplish the equivalent of climbing Mount Fuji... "

L's head snapped toward him suddenly. "Matsuda."

"I'm sorry, Ryuzaki! I really-"

L shook his head. "No, you're a genius!"

Matsuda blushed. "Me? A genius? Really? Nah, I wouldn't say I'm a genius, I just..."

L tuned out the detective's voice, his eyes scrutinizing every inch of Mount Manga. "Come, Matsuda." he commanded, briskly approaching Mount Manga.

Matsuda sighed, trailing behind him. "Yes, Ryuzaki... "

Once he had reached the bottom of the mountain, L began digging into the manga. "Look," he said, pushing the books aside. "There must be something he uses to get up there. Don't ask me what it is, because that is beyond me." It stung a little to admit that there was something he was intellectually incapable of conjuring up. "It might be something as simple as a path," he added. "But I have no doubt that there's something-"

"Matsuda! Ryuzaki!"

L sighed, disappointed. Without having to turn around, he knew the voice belonged to Light. Even if he somehow wasn't able to recognize the voice, or perhaps didn't hear the blatant anger which drenched it, the whole thing was a predictable plot twist.

"Let me guess," L sarcastically moaned. "You guys missed the beginning of the movie. Misa made you come back. Saw the door was unlocked."

"How did you-"

"She clearly foreshadowed it not even an hour ago." L rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I don't suppose you're furious now?"

"Turn around and look at me, Ryuzaki!"

With another agonizing sigh, L turned to face Light.

Matsuda's face was a picture of lamentation. "I'm sorry, Light! Me and Ryuzaki were just curious!"

"I have no doubt," Light spat. "That he dragged you into this. You are excused."

Matsuda didn't hesitate to run out of the room, seemingly ecstatic to be away from Mount Manga.

"The increasing predictability of this situation is becoming less and less bearable." L mumbled to himself.

"Predictable? How is this predictable?," Light yelled. "You know what, don't answer that."

L shrugged. He was, however, curious as to what the explanation was for this Mount Manga. "Anyway. I'm waiting, Light- Kun."

Light bit his lip in defeat. "One sec. I'm going to show you something."

"Show me something?"

Light rushed to a farther area of Mount Manga, and L watched as he practically dove in. "I would ask you to keep this all a secret... " Light mumbled, swimming past every volume of Bleach. "... But, I doubt you will do that anyway, so I'll save my breath."

L nodded, watching Light. "Sounds fair."

Light finally pulled out a single manga and held it to his chest. "This," he said. "This mountain. Is just a cover up. To hide... This." He showed the cover to L, holding it out in front of him.

L took the manga, staring at the cover. "Sekaiichi Hatsukoi?"

Light's face reddened with embarrassment. He looked down. "Yes, I'm a little into yaoi, okay?"

So, Matsuda wasn't far off with his guesses.

L glanced back up towards Light. "Light- Kun... "

"Yes?" Light asked, his words muffled by his hands which were cupping his face.

"Please tell me you read Junjōu Romantica before you started this."

"Please stop laughing at-" Light paused. "Wait... What?"

L handed Light back the manga, his face perfectly sincere. "You can't read Sekaiichi Hatsukoi before Junjōu Romantica. It doesn't work like that."

Light's mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to say something.

"Anyway," L said, turning his back. "If you wanted to hide that from me, it would have been simpler to hide it under your bed, rather than building a collection of manga taller than Mount Fuji. Just a tad bit of advice. Well, goodnight, Light- Kun."

I know, it has been about 12 million years since I've updated it. This is overdue. But... If you're reading this it most likely means you've read this chapter, so THANK YOU!