Fear
is The Enemy
by: .Cute
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Disclaimer: Yay! Chapter Fifteen is here! You know, this chapter was suppose to be a part of Chapter Fourteen but I decided to cut the one chapter into two chapters again. I seem to be doing that a lot. I also seem to be ignoring my original idea for this fanfic. But who am I to try and stop the Muse from her work? ^_^ Anywho, I hope you guys like this chapter!
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The first thing that came to him the bright red. It hurt. Light shut his eyes painfully, trying to shield his eyes from the disturbingly bright color. Then, slowly, the brightness began to die down and after a few moments, Light carefully opened his eyes. His breathing was cut short by the sight before him. A giant stage, grand and gleaming, was in front of him. Bright crimson curtains were drawn across it, but Light could hear the puppets getting into place behind it so he knew that he wouldn't have to wait that long for the show to start. Light settled into the velvet chair he was seated in and looked over to his left.
To his surprise, L was sitting next to him, in his usual odd fashion, staring at the stage. Light cocked his head to one side, frowning. Something was wrong. Light could feel his heart starting to pick up speed and his hands began to shake. "L." His own voice, normally so full of life, seemed hollow in his ears. "What's going on? Where are the puppets?" L didn't answer. He just continued to stare up at the stage. Light could feel his panic starting to grow. "L, what's wrong?" Finally, L turned to Light and, to Light dismay, his eyes were full of tears. "We are the puppets Dustin." The floor was spinning. The curtains...they were too bright. The red seemed to mix with the air, making it hard to breath. 'My name's not Dustin L.'
Light opened his mouth to say these words but found that he could not. Then suddenly, he was on the stage, facing an invisible audience. Light tried to move his head, to see his surroundings, but he couldn't. 'Why can't I move?' Light's heart began to race. 'Why can't I move?!' Suddenly, Light's head was jerked to the side and he was finally able to look around. What he saw made his heart stop. "L!" The detective was sprawled across the stage floor, a pool of crimson forming around him. L moaned softly at Light's voice and he started to rise. But to Light's horror, L wasn't the one moving. He was making no effort to get up. The strings attached to his body were making him rise. Cruel laughter rang through the air. "That's right L. Come on, get up."
L moaned again and Light could see that the blood was coming from a wound in his stomach, his white shirt drenched in it. Light felt tears spring into his eyes. He wanted to go to him, to go to L and help him. "But Dustin," the voice taunted. "You can't move yet. It's not your time." Light looked to his own arms and it became even harder to breath as he saw his own strings attached to him. "You're my puppet Dustin," the voice continued. "You move when I say!" Light clenched his teeth together painfully and struggled to raise his head up. All he managed to see above him was a pair of hands, thin and dark, controlling him and L. "Ah, Dustin. Fighting? We can't have that now can we." Light yelled out suddenly as he was forced to walk towards L. "We can't have you disobeying Dustin." The voice seemed slightly annoyed. "There is no hope for you." Light felt his tears start to fall. "L, run! Try and fight!"
Finally, L slowly opened his eyes and Light felt his heart give out. L looked up at Light and his eyes filled with tears as well. "Please Dustin." Light shook his head, his legs still waking. "I'm not Dustin L." The voice laughed. "It's nearly impossible for you to hope Dustin when there isn't anything to hope for." Light was forced then to look down at his hand. A long, gleaming knife rested in his palm. Light's eyes went wide and more tears began to fall. "No," he moaned. "No!" L let out a shaky sigh and his tears too began to fall. "Please Dustin, no more. Don't leave me alone. Don't kill me." The voice laughed again. "Come on Dustin! Kill him!" Light struggled to stop moving but his body refused to stop. As he got closer to L, he felt his arm slowly start to rise. "No, please stop!" The voice laughed harder. "Kill him!" The curtains were burning, the red becoming too bright. Light felt his body stop as he stood directly in front of L. The detective looked him in the eye. "Dustin..." "Kill him!" Light shook his head again even as his arm was raised above his head. The knife gleamed and shone brightly in his hand. L tried again. "Please..." "KILL HIM!" Light screamed as the knife was swung down.
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Light's eyes snapped open and, with a gasp, he jerked up into a sitting position. "L!" Instantly, Light turned to the sleeping detective sleeping beside him, running his eyes over him, making sure that his dream was just that: a dream. Carefully, making sure not to wake him, Light reached out and gently placed two fingers at the base of L's throat, his heart pounding with fear. The gentle thrum of L's pulse against his fingers brought out a sigh of relief from Light and he carefully moved back to his side of the bed. Quickly, he ran his hands over his own arms, half expecting to feel strings. But he felt only skin and his T-shirt.
"A dream," he mumbled. "But it was so real." He glanced at the only clock in the bedroom. It was almost two in the morning. He shuddered slightly, his mind still on his dream. 'But it was just a dream,' he reminded himself. 'Every thing's okay. You're not a puppet, L's not dead. Just forget about it and go back to sleep.' But when Light closed his eyes, the image of that knife slashing down at L's tearful, pleading face resurfaced and with a groan, Light opened his eyes, his heart skipping a beat. He glanced down again at L and felt his heart skip another beat. But this time, it was not out of fear. As Light continued to take in L's peaceful form, he realized why he'd been so scared when he'd woken up, why the dream had shaken him so badly, why the wave of relief was so strong when he'd felt L's pulse.
Light had not been afraid for himself. He'd been afraid for L. He'd been afraid that L had been hurt, that L was dead and gone. He'd been afraid that he, Light Yagami, had somehow hurt the detective, like in his dream. Light knew, in that moment, that he could no longer push his feelings away, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't blame it on pity any longer. Light Yagami was in love with the detective L. Light let out a shaky breath, 'Well, there went all hope of falling back asleep,' he thought. The dream was still haunting him and, combined with his newly accepted feelings, Light was feeling a little more than overwhelmed. He needed a distraction. With a quick glance around the room, his eyes settled onto the book Misa had given L.
He smiled slightly. 'Hello distraction.' He reached over the sleeping detective carefully, the handcuffs jingling softly, and grabbed the book. " 'False Memory'..." Light shrugged, opening the first page and began to read the description out loud. "A successful young computer games designer with a loving husband, Dusty, and a seemingly normal life, Martie Rhodes-" "I'm listening." Light frowned and glanced over at L. He was a little surprised to see that the detective eyes were open, staring up at the ceiling. Light's frown disappeared immediately and a small smile graced his lips. "Oh. Sorry L, I didn't meant to wake you. What did you say?" "What did I say?" Light's frown started to reappear. "L, what's wrong with you?" "What do you want to be wrong with me?"
Light slowly placed the book down and turned his body towards L. "L, what's going on? What's wrong with you?" Light watched as a small frown appeared on L's lips, though the rest of his face stayed completely unemotional. "This isn't right." Light leaded in slowly, panic starting to rise in his chest. This was important, he knew, for some reason. "What's not right L? Tell me." L's frown melted away. "This. You need to say the activation code before I can obey." Light's heart seemed to be acting out a lot more than usual today. It was pounding quite harshly against his chest again. 'Activation code? What's he talking about?' Light raised his hand and placed it on L's shoulder. "What's the activation code L?" L continued to stare up at the ceiling, as if in a trance. "You know." Light closed his eyes in frustration. "Pretend that I don't know the code."
L sighed softly. "Martie Rhodes." Light already knew that part. "What about Martie Rhodes L?" "Say that and I wait for the code." Light frowned deeply. "Okay. Then what's the code L? Pretend that I don't know it." L remained silent for a moment. But before Light could question him again, he whispered softly, "The worst lay ahead and Martie..." Light stared at L like he'd grown a second head. 'What the hell is going on?' But Light wouldn't let his confusion get the better of him. He'd figure this out, whatever it was. "So I just say that code and then what?" L blinked, then mumbled, "I obey." Light took his hand off L's shoulder. L didn't seem to notice. Light tried to figure out what L had just told him. Light had said the name, "Martie Rhodes" out loud and L woke up instantly from a deep sleep and said he was listening.
Then, when Light had asked him what was wrong with him, he'd said that Light wasn't doing it right, that he needed an activation code before he could obey. Light closed his eyes again in more frustration. None of this was making any sense. Light took in a deep breath and opened his eyes to see L still staring at the ceiling. "L? Martie Rhodes." "I'm listening." A small shiver ran down Light's spine but he ignored it and continued to speak, repeating the phrase L had told him. "The worst lay ahead and Martie..." L's body suddenly tensed up. "Was unable to see the most of it." Light blinked as L's body relaxed again. 'Now what?' Light looked into L's eyes and was disturbed to see that his onyx eyes held absolutely no emotion. "L? Are you okay?" L's head tilted slightly to the side. "Do you want me to be okay?"
Light's face darkened with lines of anxiety. "Of course I want you to be okay L." 'He'd said that after I said the activation code, he would obey. So, let's try a command.' Light felt his stomach twist uncomfortably at the thought of giving his new found love interest a command, like some kind of animal, but he had no choice. He had to see if what L had said was true. "L, listen to me. I want you to..." 'I have to ask him something that he'd never actually tell me.' "I want you to tell me your age." 'There. He'd never tell me his age.' Light felt confidant that L would dismiss his question and twist it into something Kira might ask. But to his dismay, L turned his head towards him and answered, "Twenty-five." Light's eyes went wide.
Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than for the true L to come back. He wanted the stubborn, logical L he loved to answer him. Light grabbed L's shoulders, panic now consuming him, and shook the man roughly. "L! Come on, wake up or something!" Light started to get angry. "Come on L!" L's head rolled back and then suddenly, as if waking up from a dream, his eyes grew wide with fear and stared at Light. "Raito-kun..." Light looked L in the eye again and was relieved when he saw emotions, actual human emotions. But he also noticed the fear as well and he realized that he'd spoken with anger, which probably scared L, thanks to his phobia.
The detective slowly looked around the room and then back to Light. "Raito-kun, I'm sorry. Why did you wake me?" Light stare at him. 'Doesn't he remember?' But Light couldn't think about that now. L's fear was starting to grow at Light's silence. "Ah...don't be sorry L. I didn't mean to sound so angry. You, ah, were having another bad dream and I thought that it'd be best if you were woken up." L's face immediately relaxed and he even offered a small smile. "Thank you Raito-kun." Light did his best to fight off a blush and shrugged his shoulders, releasing L's shoulders. "It was no big deal L. Let's just...go back to sleep, okay?"
L glanced at the clock on the wall. "Yes, I think that would be best. We don't have to be up for another three hours so we might as well make the best of them." L settled back down in the bed and, to Light surprise, let out a small, silent yawn. Within seconds, he was fast asleep. 'He must be really tired," Light thought as he stared at the detective. Then, after a few moments, Light turned his attention back to Misa's book. Gingerly, he picked it up and held it in his hands. 'Whatever had happened tonight is directly connected with this book,' Light thought as he flipped it open to the first page. He wouldn't go back to sleep. He was going to find out what exactly what was going on with L and at the moment, the book was the only thing he had that could offer him some answers. So, with determination and concern for his L, Light began to read.
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A/N: Yay! I finished it! ^_^ I hope you guys liked it. Finally, Light has some idea of what's going on! And finally, he admits his love for L! (sighs) Man, that took a long time. Jeez. Anywho, I've got nothing else to say except review people! Your reviews make me happy and make me write faster! Chapter Sixteen coming soon! See ya!