Bargaining a life

The investigation team had gone. The artificial lights within the main room lit up only two figures seated a short distance away from each other.

Light leant back gently, his fingers drawing back as he let go off all pretenses and slowly his screen dulled with inactivity. Out of the corner of his eye he saw L curling up his fingers also and his screen go blank. Neither of them moved. The room was silent apart from the quiet purr of electricity. They waited.

There was no sound, no change in feeling or atmosphere but out of the corner of their eyes both men saw the flickering. Neither of them turned around but they saw the tall pale apparition enter the parameters of the room. The shinigami Rem had entered the room and had silently seated herself at the table in the corner.

Several minutes more passed before L turned his head slightly and slid his eyes round to meet his lover's. Brown eyes met black ones in a silent confirmation before the two rose from their seats and made their way across the room to where the sentimental god of death was seated.

She watched their progress with indifference, seeing the clear intent in their actions and waiting patiently for them to state their purpose. L sat down on the other side of the large table, bringing his knees up to his chin and staring thoughtfully at the creature before him, while Light stood beside him.

Slowly L reached out across the table for the death note to which Rem now laid claim and ran his fingers over it thoughtfully.

"When I first came across the mention of Shinigami in this case in a serious piece of evidence I was initially very shocked by the idea," L said raising his eyes up to Rem's. She stared back at him, both eyes dull and unreadable. "In fact," L continued, "for a few moments I was terrified. But once I accepted the concept there was no space for fear. There was only curiosity. Now I know a great deal about shinigami, their ways, their rules and their world. But still, shinigami are not human and that concept still troubles me. I am used to dealing only with humans."

L paused and brought his hand to his mouth. Rem shifted her gaze from L to Light who stood at his shoulder. Her stare had a slight hint of questioning in it.

"I'll make this brief and clear then Rem," Rem brought her gaze straight back to L, her eyes met the young detective's with a powerful force that L matched perfectly, "I know that Light is Kira, he has confessed to me and I know about everything; Misa, the two notebooks, Ryuk, how everything has been conducted up to now." Surprise showed in the shinigami's eyes but she did not reply; she waited. L smiled.

"Light and I have come to an agreement and we are now working together," L told her, "I wish to ensure that he is forever removed from any suspicion and that all evidence against him is absolved. To do this I will also need to explain the evidence against Misa and have it disregarded. But I shall need your help."

Rem lifted her head, the blue coils of snake-like hair shifted as she moved the protruding muscles in her neck. She pursed her purple lips and glared at both the men before her before bringing her gaze back to L.

"I do not know what has transpired to bring about this change in circumstances but let me tell you this, L, I do not like Light Yagami and I do not trust him."

"That is a pity," L said softly, lowering his eyes and chewing on his thumb, "but your instincts are perfectly understandable. I do not ask you to trust Light Yagami; I would not advice anyone to do so blindly. But I need you to trust me." Rem stared at the gaunt young man hunched up before her.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I will need for Misa to be arrested and confess to commiting relatively minor offences in her support of Kira whom she idolizes. But even though I shall require her to confess to some very serious and punishable crimes I promise that I shall ensure that she will not suffer any punishment. I shall do this by making a deal with her for the confession, at the agreement of and in the presence of the other members of the investigation team. I need you to pass on the details of this plan to Misa including a statement which she must memorise in preparation for this fake confession. Are you willing to do this?" Rem stared at L while she considered his words.

"Are you saying that you will endeavour to ensure the safety of Misa from any further suspicion?"

"I swear to you now," L said quietly, "that in the course of this plan I shall make sure that Misa is forever absolved from suspicion in the Kira case."

"Then I shall do what you ask," Rem replied. L smiled.

"Thank you but there is more that I would need you to agree to, and you will need to trust me in this plan."

"I have your word," Rem said slowly, "I shall do whatever this plan requires..."

On a bed covered in silk sheets the young blond serial killer lay, her hair tousled and loose; coiled in the folds of the sheer fabric. Her painted black eyelashes were wound together in the close of her eyelids and her red lips were smeared slightly where her face had brushed against the bed. The threads that wound about her corset hung loose; her breasts exposed. Her black and white socks untidily wrinkled at her ankles and rough against the smooth pink on which she lay.

Rem watched the girl sleep silently from the corner of the room. She knew this girl so well, better than any of her own kind. She knew every perfect shining, fascinating facet of this beautiful young female. And she knew every disappointing fault. She knew that Misa Amane, when it truly came down to it, was simply a child, a hideous child of the worst kind of temperament. But even so, she was just a child, just a girl. Her simplicity, her open bleeding heart was what made her so very intriguing.

Rem watched the girl breathing softly and thought, 'forgive me misa for what I must do for you.'

As the last hours of the night trickled away Light lay with his lover, his fingers twisting through the man's black hair and his lips on his throat as L moaned his pleasure into the darkness.

He had smiled so sweetly when Light had confessed to him, in between kisses, his thrill at witnessing him seduce a Shinigami's mind so surely and completely.

Author's note: Just a glimpse into the initial/ main part of the plan. I didn't want to give too much away.

If you ask nicely there shall me some more shmexings in the next chapter. (A.K.A I will do a chapter of shmexings. :D)

And feel free to speculate.