A/N: Chapter the second and the last, yay! Warning for some mutilation and slightly non-con situation. Omnomnom.
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, Disney, Grimm Brothers, or Nightmare Before Christmas.
The stranger—no, Lawliet—was standing there again when Light returned to the balcony the second night of the ball. They studied each other. Light didn't feel the need to exchange pleasantries; again, it was just that feeling that Lawliet knew him, though they hadn't spent five minutes in each other's presence.
"Yesterday… what you said about me feeling foreign… what did you mean?" Light articulated haltingly.
"You know very well," Lawliet answered. "You have lived most of your life thus, I presume. You are the king's eyes, ears, and mouth when you ride throughout the land. Your will belongs to your sovereign, and his belongs to the people. The monarchy is inverted, after all, though the people have never noticed it."
Light considered Lawliet as he spoke. The man's cheek rested on his gloved palm as he leaned his elbow against the railing. His lips were pale, his skin all the more so, but his eyes burned, if fire could be black as coal.
"Yet you feel as if you don't belong to yourself. Because you don't, you never have, and it seems that you never will. Certainly you are powerful, but have you ever done something that you alone wanted to do, that was contrary to the will of your liege? Something… not expected of you, something your people wouldn't want you to do? No? Then perhaps you should start tonight. That is, if you wish," Lawliet suggested.
"… Of course I do," Light said, startled at the abrupt cessation of Lawliet's voice.
"Then take this apple." Lawliet suddenly withdrew a bright red apple from within his suit jacket, which had looked too close-fitted to contain the fruit. He tossed it to Light and broke into the first smile the prince had seen gracing his lips.
"When they call you to see the guests out, as it is five minutes 'til midnight, go out taking liberal bites of this apple. It is an untoward act for a prince, yet not overly offensive. Take care to consume the whole fruit, core and all. Think of it as a baby step."
"Thank you, Lawliet."
"Your Highness is very welcome."
Light frowned at the honorific. Though it was natural for everyone to call him such, the words on Lawliet's lips were… jolting. "Why start calling me that now when you've been speaking directly to Light Yagami all this time?"
Lawliet smiled again. "Another step for you, Light. You're doing well."
Strangely, Light's cheeks were almost as red as the apple when he heard someone calling for him again. "Will I see you again tomorrow?"
"You will."
XXX
"Why did you have to give him that apple last night? I wanted it as my snack for the journey back," Ryuk whined.
"You had enough apple cider at the ball," L said. "You were so tipsy you could barely fly."
"I was not tipsy. I have a huge alcohol tolerance. Although the truth is that I function better when I consume apples in their pure form. Sugar adulterates their power."
"Well then, you can have all the apples that are left today. There are still several bushels on the tree outside. I am not making apple pie again."
He had barely gotten the words out when Ryuk was rushing out the window to the apple tree. The god of death returned half an hour later with a brimming armful of apples and juice dribbling down his chin.
"I'll eat the rest of these while I'm making tonight's outfit. The extra inspiration will help with my last and best gift to you," he explained.
"Whatever you want, Ryuk."
"Speaking of wanting, L…" Ryuk paused mid-bite, giving L a very unattractive view of a half-chewed apple bolus. "What about dear Light?"
"What about him?" L asked innocently.
"He's very pretty, isn't he?"
"I didn't realize gods of death had similar aesthetic tastes to humans," L said, his usual monotone betraying nothing.
"So you do think he's pretty," Ryuk cackled.
"I never said so. I just said that you seem to agree with the general consensus that humans like His Highness are attractive. I am neither for nor against this argument."
"Hey, hey, you can deny it all you like, but I was there last night. His face looked like an apple when you called him by his name; I nearly made the mistake of trying to eat it."
"Do not presume to add 'matchmaker' to your list of human occupations, Ryuk."
"Stop arguing, dear L. Come on, let's make you all pretty for your Prince Charming."
XXX
"So where is your special someone tonight?" Ryuk muttered, invisible, in L's ear as he sauntered through the hall. They had been there an hour or so, with no sign of Light.
"I expect he'll be a little indisposed."
"Indisposed… why? How do you know?"
L ignored him in favor of approaching a serving woman bearing a large bowl of punch to the dining table. "Lady, would you know if the crown prince has any business to attend to, necessitating his absence from the hall tonight?"
"Good sir," she replied, "have ye not heard? The prince has taken ill and is in his chamber this night. The word is that he will not be able to rise for several days, bless his soul."
"Ah. I am sorry to hear it, lady. Thank you very much," L murmured. He wove his way through the mazes of ruffled dresses and refined voices to arrive at his former rendezvous with Light, the balcony. He heard Ryuk rustling alongside and spoke.
"You'll be very interested by what I've got planned next."
"Oh, I know you're going to break into his room," the god of death said, becoming visible once more. "But how he got sick rather puzzles me. It's got to be something bad for the royal doctors to not be able to cure him."
"You're less clever than I thought, Ryuk. You've been in his shoes, you know."
Ryuk stared, dumbfounded. "You… you can't have…"
L smiled sweetly. "I can and I did."
"But why?"
"It doesn't matter as long as it's interesting, or so you would say. Now let's go."
They flew from the balcony and soared around the palace. L peered through every window until he found a dimly lit room containing, among other lavish furnishings, a bed with drawn curtains. He rapped vigorously on the window. "Let's see how well he is."
A moment later, Light slipped out of the bed, pale and slightly cross-eyed. He shuffled over to the window and stared straight through L and Ryuk. L leaned over and rapped again, right in front of Light's face. The prince jumped back in surprise and tried to focus his eyes. He fumbled for the latch, opened the window, and called weakly, "Who's there?"
L took his chance and lightly (haha geddit?) bounded from Ryuk's shoulders, over Light's head, into the room. With utmost care, he locked and latched the door, then took up his position in a dark corner, leaving Light to very confusedly totter back to bed without closing the window. No sooner had he drawn the curtains did L whip them open again.
XXX
Light's clouded eyes took in Lawliet's silhouette before rolling back and closing, dismissing the image as a hallucination, the result of his fever. Thus, he did not notice Lawliet removing a glass vial from inside his jacket and emptying the powdery white contents onto his tongue. Moments later, he shuddered awake as he registered said tongue plundering the inside of his mouth, and he realized that his best defense was to bite it. He did so, and Lawliet slapped him in the face. Light was so surprised by this humiliation that he let go, and Lawliet removed himself from Light's mouth.
"I believe… an explanation… is in order…" Light mumbled groggily.
"I said I would see you today, and I never go back on my word," Lawliet said brightly.
"But why… this… intrusion…"
Impressive, the prince can string together more than three syllables under the influence, Lawliet snorted mentally. "One word, darling: control."
"Con…troll?" Light was still having trouble focusing his thoughts.
"That's right. Let me tell you a story."
Light listened as Lawliet spoke of an idyllic childhood, a falling blade, a crimson-eyed beast, an endless, sleepless night, and above all, a void where a heart used to beat. Much of it was blathering gabble to Light's discombobulated ears, but Lawliet's voice was low and soothing, and Light drifted until the tone changed. The voice was as smooth and suave as before, but an undercurrent of laughter, mad, twisted laughter, pulsed beneath.
"It's been so long since I've been able to change anything in my life. But who would have expected you to be the first one in my line of sight when I regained control? When you return to full consciousness, you will be able to appreciate the irony. The poison is still fading from your blood, but no lasting damage will remain. After you wake, you will understand, and you will thank me for what I have done to you. Perhaps you shall do the same, and perhaps you shall surpass me, Light."
Light blearily forced his eyes open. "Lawliet…" he coughed. "What's your first name?"
"As chance would have it, it is in fact the first letter of your own name." Lawliet paused a moment, then removed his glove and placed his right hand against Light's warm cheek. He rubbed thick calluses against the prince's delicate skin and leaned down to take Light's lips again, gently. The bell chose this moment to begin tolling midnight, and L scowled at the sound. "Remember L Lawliet," he breathed against Light's lips, and then he leaped out the window, leaving a very stunned prince with his glove.
XXX
"Light? Light, they're waiting to speak with you, the Lord and Lady of—Light?"
Sachiko, Light's mother, bustled through the antechamber and into his room, only to find the prince sitting dejectedly on his bed. He gave her half a glance before returning his eyes to the floor.
"Light, what's wrong? Are you still ill? I can send word to them and ask them to come another day if—Light, why are you holding a glove?"
Light reflexively clutched the glove to himself, but Sachiko seized it with the air of a hawk snatching a juicy fish.
"This isn't yours, is it? It doesn't have the royal crest embroidered on… then who…?"
"Mother, give it back, it's none of your business!" Light snapped, coming to life.
"Oh Light! I understand now! Some darling lady snuck into your room last night and left you this glove! Dearest Light, don't worry, we'll find her for you, and when we do, you'll be the happiest man alive!" Sachiko exclaimed, rushing from the chamber.
Light stared agape after her. "L," he muttered.
XXX
"Misa, Takada! I have news for you!" B sang as he almost tap-danced through the house. "The prince is seeking a wife, and he will take whoever's hand best fits this glove!" He brandished a beautifully made white glove in the air.
Misa and Takada's jaws dropped in a very unladylike manner; B snapped them both shut with a click. "Now dears, I think we should agree to let Misa try first, since she is older."
"Hooray!" Misa squealed as Takada pouted.
"Into the kitchen then, Misa, for your fitting," B said with a leer that Misa didn't notice.
"Hm, your hand appears to be too wide, Misa," B said thoughtfully after several minutes of heroic tugging. "I suppose we shall have to cut a finger off."
"C-cut a finger… off?" Misa gasped.
"That's what I said, love. Now sit tight." Misa was frozen to the spot. B retrieved a wickedly sharp, rusted knife, an equally awful-looking needle, and a bowl from a drawer. He grabbed Misa's pinky finger and cut it off, along with part of the side of her hand. Then he sewed it up, licked off the excess blood, and fitted the glove over her hand.
"There now," he crooned at the sobbing Misa. "Go on out, they're waiting for you."
The royal officers examined Misa's gloved hand but quickly noted her missing finger, so they sent her back. B didn't seem remotely disappointed; instead he bundled Takada off to the kitchen, where she met with the same fate as Misa because her fingers were too long. B cut the tips off at the first knuckle, sewed them up, and sent her out.
Around this time, Light rode up on his glorious chestnut, having finally tracked down the royal party ferrying his glove about. Of course he knew Takada was not the owner, but he saw her bloodshot eyes and asked, "Why are you crying, lady?"
She held up her gloved hand. The fingertips were stained red. Light ripped the glove from her hand and regarded her mutilated fingers, where blood still oozed.
"H-he made me do it! My f-father! He cut my sister's off too!" Takada choked out.
"Who on earth…" Light was lost for words.
"It's B, sir," one of the officers said. "I grew up in this village, and a few years ago this man, B, had a couple of nasty incidents spring up around him. First a man was killed at the mill B owned. Then B married his wife, but not long after, she had an accident too. Rumor has it that he stabbed her, but there's no proof. And just now, the sister of this girl came out wearing the glove, but one of her fingers was cut off."
"What was the name of the man B killed?" Light asked, hardly daring to hope…
"Hm, I believe… it wasn't a common name, it was… oh yes, it was Lawliet."
"Lawliet… of course. Thank you, Matsuda. Please listen carefully to my instructions. First, have your men arrest and imprison B for his misdeeds. Then bring his daughters to the palace and entrust them to the care of the queen. Lastly, please inform the queen that I shall no longer require her help in locating a bride."
"B-but…" Matsuda stammered.
"Thank you, Matsuda." With that, Light rode off with the bloody glove.
XXX
He was riding by the cemetery when he noticed it. A white glove, the partner of the bloodied one in his hand, adorned the hand of the angel Gabriel atop a headstone. And Gabriel, messenger of God, was pointing at another angel, who held the open Book of Life in its hands. Light dismounted and climbed the apple tree that shaded the angel and its burden. He nimbly sailed from the fork of the tree's branches to the plateau formed by the stone book. He smirked as he gazed down at the supine form slowly opening its eyes.
"So now you know," L said, covering his face with his hands as Light stepped over him to sit by his head.
"Know what?" Light asked tauntingly.
"Know that L Lawliet is just a common baker's son whose parents were murdered by a lunatic, who hasn't slept, eaten well, or worn decent clothes for nine years, who enjoys poisoning as a recreational sport and ego booster, and who certainly has no business toying with the king's heir," L said as fast and tonelessly as he could.
Light pulled L's hands away from his eyes and placed one on his cheek. "I suppose I owe you one for the poisoning," he said. "That's a serious felony, but the reason you won't be seeing your stepfather in prison is that you taught me my lesson well. I'm crown prince of the realm, but I don't have to be if I don't want to. I'd rather spend my time here with you under this apple tree, though I'm less than interested in consuming its fruit."
L laughed the first pure, non-depraved laugh to pass his lips in nine years. "If that's your idea of punishment, then I don't really mind—"
"Shut up," Light growled as his lips closed over L's.
Neither of them noticed the apples on the tree rapidly dematerializing.