sorry for the late update...again...work...enjoy...

Ryuk was impressed.

And that was saying a lot.

He hadn't expected L and Light to have a fantastic presentation. L was actually addressing his peers during the presentation!

Ryuk smiled quietly. He was glad.

So glad in fact, that he didn't realise that they were done until a student addressed him.

"Um…Ryuk-sensei?" she said. "Your evaluation?"

Ryuk started. "Huh? Evaluation? Oh, right."

He stood up and went to the front of the classroom. He looked around, thinking of what to say but realising that he couldn't say much as he hadn't listen to the actual presentation.

Finally, he said: "That was good, you pass…"

"…just a pass?" groaned Light.

"…with distinction," finished Ryuk, rolling his eyes.

L and Light seemed satisfied and they both went back to their seats.

Ryuk looked up at the clock over his desk and saw that it was almost four.

"We'll continue tomorrow," he said. "Now you guys have ten minutes to do whatever you want before the bell rings."

L sat quietly at his sit while Light talked with some girls nearby.

He can't help but feel jealous as he watched Light talked to them, despite the fact that they weren't going out.

Suddenly, Light caught his eye and winked.

For some reason, this calmed L and he felt somewhat silly for his previous feelings.

Then, the bell rang.

Light walked over to L as the other boy packed his things.

"Going to fetch Near today?" he asked.

L shook his head.

"Mello will handle that today," he said. "I have to go somewhere else."

Light tilted his head curiously.

"Where?" he asked.

L smiled slightly.

"Always asking questions aren't you?" he stated.

Light grinned.

The two of them walked to the school gates, Light pestering L to tell him where he was going.

"I don't think you'll like the place, Light-kun," said L.

"Oh come on, L," said Light. "You haven't even taken me there yet, how would you know if I would like it or not?"

L raised his thumb to his lips. Light had a point. He was different from the other people the L had met before. Could he be different in this matter as well?

"Most people don't…appreciate the place I'm going to," L tried again.

Light raised an eyebrow.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, L," he began irritably. "I'm not like most people. Give me a chance will you?"

L thought about it. Would Light think lowly of him after seeing the place he's going to? Maybe, but L felt that Light wouldn't.

"Well…" he began but was interrupted.

"Yagami-senpai!"

L and Light turned to see four younger students running up to them.

One of them, apparently a jock if his build was any indicator, spoke up.

"We saw what was happening," he said. "We thought we could help."

"Help?" repeated Light, frowning. "Help with what?"

"We saw that creep harassing you," said one of the juniors. "We wanted to stop him."

"What creep?" asked Light, looking around in confusion.

"That creep!" cried one of them, pointing right at L, who recoiled as though they've just punched him.

Light blinked for a moment before realisation dawned on him.

"I think you're mistaken," he said severely. "He wasn't harassing me; we were just having a conversation."

The juniors stared at him for a moment and burst out laughing.

"That's a good one, senpai!" one of them said, wiping tears from his eyes. "The Light Yagami, the most popular guy in school talking to the freak?"

They started laughing again.

Light looked at L, who was looking very hurt and close to tears. He felt his blood begin to boil.

How dare they! How dare they make fun of L like that!

"I…I…I better leave," stammered L, turning to the gate.

"That's right, freak!" jeered one of the juniors. "Go back to that dark pit that you call home!"

Light had had enough.

Growling, he dropped his bag, marched up to the junior and began to beat the living hell out of him.

"Light-kun!" cried L, running forward and with great difficulty, pulled Light off the stunned and now bloody junior.

"Don't any of you dare say that again!" roared Light, still trying to throw a few more punches in as L restrained him. "Don't you dare make fun of L! You hear me? He's my friend, a real friend! I won't allow any of you to put him down like that!"

The juniors, dragging the bloody comrade, fled.

Light glared after them, breathing heavily.

L continued to hold on to him, scared that he would chase after those juniors.

After awhile, Light calmed down and told L to let go of him.

L obeyed, looking at Light with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but apparently he was at loss for words.

Light spoke first.

"They had no right to say that," he said bluntly. "They deserved it."

L closed his mouth and looked at the ground. Light had just stood up for him. For him! This was more than L could have ever thought possible. Light really cared, he really did! L was so overwhelmed that he didn't know what to say.

He wanted to thank Light, wanted to show Light that he was so grateful for what he just did. But he felt that words are not enough to convey his feelings. What should he say?

Finally, he said softly.

"Do you still want to go to that place with me?"

Light smirked.

"You're welcome."

LLLLLLLLLLLL

Near smiled when Sayu greeted him.

He really found the girl charming, friendly and…pretty.

"So is L-chan fetching you today?" asked Sayu.

"No, Mello is," answered Near, shaking his head. He turned to the gate, looking out for his blonde brother.

Suddenly, he felt a hand take his own.

Turning, he saw that it was Sayu, holding his hand and her face was slightly pink.

"Um…Near-chan?" she said shyly.

Near's eyes widened slightly. It was most unusual for Sayu to say anything shyly.

"Are you all right, Sayu-chan?" he asked concernedly.

Sayu nodded. "I'm fine, Near. But I need to ask you something…"

She blushed.

Near was alarmed. What was wrong with her? Maybe she's falling ill? What was it that she wanted to ask him?

"Do you like me, Near-chan?" Sayu asked shyly.

Near blinked for a moment, unsure that he had heard her correctly.

After awhile he spoke up.

"Sayu…of course I like you, you're my best friend."

Sayu shook her head.

"I've got not doubts about that," she said. "What I meant was…do you like like me?"

Near's face turned bright red. He was too shocked to speak.

He always knew that he liked Sayu, but did he like her that way? He knew that L and Mello were both gay and had always figured out that he would end up like them. But now that he was asked, he realised that he did have feelings for the girl. She was different from other people. She was special.

"I…I…" Near stammered, but then…

"Hey, pipsqueak!"

Near turned and saw Mello and Matt walking towards him. Mello had a huge grin on his face while Matt look a little flustered. His shirt was also messy as though he had just put them on in a hurry.

Mello stopped and looked at Near and Sayu. His grin grew even wider.

"Hey! So this is your girlfriend?" he asked cheerily.

"No!" both Near and Sayu cried simultaneously, blushing.

"Then why are you both holding hands?" asked Mello, snorting with laughter.

Sayu and Near looked down and saw that their hands were still clasped together.

Blushing even harder, they both let go.

Mello guffawed as Matt walked forward, smiling slightly.

"All right you two, let's go," he said.

Near nodded and followed the two older boys.

Sayu watched him go wistfully. He still hadn't answered her.

Then, Near turned around to look at her. He smiled softly and nodded his head.

Sayu smiled back.

That just answered everything she needed to know.

LLLLLLLLL

"Ah, Lawliet-san, I haven't seen you in a while," said Anezaki, wiping his dusty glasses.

"Ah, I've been busy with school lately," answered L, smiling at the old man.

Anezaki smiled back and then noticed the other boy behind L.

"Hello there," he greeted. "Who is this young man?"

"Mr. Anezaki, this is Light Yagami, my class…my friend," said L. "Light-kun, this is Mr. Anezaki, the curator of this museum."

Light and the old curator shook hands in the formal western way. L had to stifle a giggle, the two of them were so solemn it was as though they were meeting at a funeral.

"L tells me that your museum houses the finest fak…I mean, the finest replicas of world famous artefacts," said Light politely.

Anezaki smiled.

"You can say fakes," he said, causing Light to smile sheepishly. "That's what they are anyway. You can go in for free; Lawliet-san can show you around. He knows this place as well as the back of his hand."

L nodded and eagerly led Light into the museum.

Anezaki watched the two boys go, smiling. He had seen a lot in his long life and knew love when he saw it. Those two had a bond with each other that was so deep that they were likely unaware of it.

He shook his head, still smiling. He was glad that L had someone at last.

Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. Reaching into it, he pulled out his cell phone.

On the screen flashed: Watari

Surprised, Anezaki answered the call.

"It's been a long time, Watari," he said.

"Mamoru," answered an elderly kind voice on the other line. "It's good to hear from you again."

"Likewise, old friend," answered Anezaki.

A short pause, then he spoke again.

"Does this mean you'll be returning to Japan?" he asked.

"I just arrived at the airport," answered Watari. "How are my grandsons?"

"Mello is the same as always but Near has changed a lot," replied Anezaki. "In fact, I believe that he has a girlfriend."

"I see," said Watari, chuckling. "Isn't he a bit too young?"

"Not as young as we were when we started going out," said Anezaki, his voice hardening.

Watari was silent on the other side.

"Mamoru…I don't want to go through that again…" he said sadly. "You knew how much it tore me up…"

"As much as it tore me up?" asked Anezaki harshly.

Again, silence.

"L has changed a lot," said Anezaki, changing the topic. "He just walked in today with a friend. I think that they may be smitten with each other."

"Really?" said Watari, sounding genuinely surprised. "I must meet that person then. Could you please inform Mello and Near that I would be arriving in about an hour? Don't tell L, I want to surprise him."

"Of course," replied Anezaki.

"Mamoru…" came Watari's voice softly over the line. "I really am sorry…"

"Just go and meet your grandsons," interrupted Anezaki, ending the call.

He leaned over the counter, breathing heavily. Even though it has been nearly five decades since it happened, talking to Watari still hurts him.

Shaking it off, he dialled Ryuk's number.

LLLLLLLLLL

Light was impressed by the replicas. Everything he saw, the Sarcophagus of King Tut, the fabled Capstone of the Great Pyramid, the weapon of the Malaysian legendary hero: Hang Tuah's Taming Sari and a lot more, were crafted in such detail similar to the original that he could not see the difference.

However, what intrigued him even more was L. His raven-haired friend had simply transformed the moment he set foot in the gallery. He became like a child eager to show its mother some new discovery.

The way L pulled him by the hand to show him some of the replicas and the way he chattered excitedly, Light found it endearing.

Now, L had pulled him over to what looked like the replica of a grave.

"What's this, L?" asked Light, looking around the place curiously.

"This is the replica of the grave of Esmeralda," said L quietly. "Have you ever heard that name before, Light-kun?"

Light shook his head.

"Are you familiar with Victor Hugo's the Hunchback of Notre Dame?" asked L.

Light nodded.

"Then you are familiar with the ending?"

Light tilted his head slightly. "Refresh my memory, L."

"Esmeralda was rescued by Quasimodo, the hunchback. He cared for her and kept her safe from Frollo and the witch-hunters. Are you following me?"

Light nodded.

"But Esmeralda couldn't see past his deformities. She was instead foolishly smitten with the Phoebus. All that eventually led to her death."

Light nodded, and then a thought occurred to him.

"Esmeralda is a fictional character," he said. "Why is there a replica of her grave here?"

L smiled. "Not all the artefacts displayed here exist, Light-kun. Some of them are mythical, Anezaki simply created those based on what he thought they would look like."

Light frowned. "I still don't get why you showed me this grave."

L nodded. "After Esmeralda died, her body was sealed away in a crypt. Quasimodo, the only one who was truly devoted to her, went to seal himself with her. He died with her. He loved her despite her scorn, her fear and narrow-minded view of him. It's one sided, but its love."

Light began to see the parallel. L too, was scorned by the general populace. Those people couldn't see past his eccentricities and judged him solely on that. But was it possible, that this was L's way of telling Light that he liked him? If it was, it wouldn't be one sided. That would be all the difference between L and Quasimodo.

Deciding to take the risk, Light walked forward towards L.

Before L realised what was happening, he found his lips trapped by Light's.

Eyes widening in surprise, he tried to pull away but found Light's arms around him, pulling him closer. He tried to struggle, but he found himself enjoying it instead. It was so different from Kira.

Where Kira was possessive and rough, Light was gentle.

Where Kira was lustful, Light was loving.

L closed his eyes and tentatively wrapped his arms around Light's neck. The two of them stayed locked together like that for a long while.

Light was crying for joy in his mind. He knew now that he really loved L, that he couldn't bear to be without him. He made up his mind there. To hell with Misa, he wanted L.

He'll break up with her, if she wanted to commit suicide…well, that was her problem.

But for now, Light just wanted to enjoy his first kiss with L.

lllllllllllllllllllllll

so there you have it...Light is finally going to get rid of Misa...but will Misa go quietly??...we all know her better than that, don't we??...anyways...tell me what you guys think (review)... :D

next chapter coming soon...