Hypothetical
By Yukirei (a.k.a. Cosmiko Ling)
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of its characters. Death Note belongs to Ohba Tsugumi-sensei and Obata Takeshi-sensei, the creator and artist behind Death Note whom we should thank for bringing us such a wonderful series. This is a non-profit fanfiction written by a fan, for the enjoyment of other fans.
Warning: volume 5
Feedback: Yes, please. :P
A/N: See post-fic.
There it is again, the sound of shifting under the sheets.
"Can't sleep, Yagami-kun?" A voice, cool as the night air, flows through the quiet.
The movement ceases abruptly, but the other makes no response.
L turns thoughtful dark eyes upon the shadowy shape at the handcuffs' other end.
"A penny for your thoughts?" L persists stubbornly.
"It's nothing," Light finally replies, voice a mutter.
L continues to stare. Nothing doesn't keep a normal human up at night.
"Thinking too much when it's time to sleep isn't good for your health," L points out sagely.
Light rolls his eyes. Hypocrite.
"I wasn't thinking about anything in particular," Light denies.
"Yagami-kun, 13 percent."
"..."
"..."
"...Ryuuzaki..."
"Yes?"
"...If you have the ability that Kira apparently possesses - to kill and control the victim's actions before death - will you use it?"
"Yes, I will," L answers without hesitation.
Before Light could respond with an indignant protest, L continues, "If it's a necessary step to conclude an investigation - for example, if a small time criminal needs to be sacrificed to pin the mastermind - I will."
"Criminals are humans too. Surely you wouldn't disagree that a human life is something to be respected," rebukes Light sternly, his voice losing all prior uncertainty.
"Sometimes, we need to look at the big picture. The ends rather than the means - sacrificing one human life to save many is a logical step to take," returns L calmly.
The night air is suddenly crackling with an undercurrent of tension.
"Ryuuzaki... you are a bastard."
L pauses, as though considering the accusation, before replying, "Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment," Light tells L curtly.
"Oh?" L sounds deceivingly disappointed for a brief moment before he presses on, "Well, how about yourself, Yagami-kun? Will you use such an ability?" The topic is too good an opportunity to let waste.
Light lets his eyes fall shut; the uncertainty flowing back in a rush creases his brows. L's question is exactly what he has been pondering the whole night. Despite his conviction that all human lives are precious, criminals or not, a sliver of contradictory feelings stir within him, memories he cannot quite explain undeniably exist in his mind.
L is beginning to think that Light has finally decided to ignore him, when he hears the quiet answer,
"I don't know."
L's eyes bore darkly into Light's back. He has expected a righteous exclamation to the negative. This honest confession of uncertainty isn't like the Light he had known before... this isn't like Kira.
Date started: 16 September 2007
Date completed: 17 September 2007
Last edited: 4 November 2007
A/N: Before I talk about the fic, first, a shout out to all who have written reviews for my previous Death Note fics which I have yet to reply to. I haven't had the time to reply individually to every review these days, but I do read and appreciate every single review. Thank you!
This ficlet was inspired from thinking about how humans reflect upon themselves and if they are perhaps at their most vulnerable, in the late of the night. There were also some things I wanted to portray about Light's character during his period of 'amnesia' and, to a smaller extent, L. (Some readers may find lines familiar from one of my older fics, 'L'... (offers a sheepish smile)) To be honest, though I'm someone who is fascinated with the changes in Light's character through the series - the differences between Light with and without influence of the Death Note, I wasn't very sure about his characterisation this time. Hope it worked.
I've started this as a "collection" of ficlets. Nope, there's no other writing in the collection at present. And there may not be any more? (oi) XD To all readers, if you leave a review, feel free to include a prompt (random words, situations etc), and if it inspires me, I'll credit you for the prompt when I post the resulting fic. (note: I'm not promising to write for all prompts, only ones that inspire me.) Specify characters if you wish. Sorry, I don't usually write pairings unless I believe they might exist in canon, though you can try your luck.