Midway on our life's journey, I found myself
In dark woods, the right road lost
-Dante's Inferno, Canto I
"Watari…"
"Watari," he called again.
"I'm here," the familiar voice answered, taking his out-stretched hand in his.
L was instantly aware of the needles when he reached out.
It was a pinching sensation that ran under his skin and out into tubes filled with fluids clear and saline. There was also one magnanimous, red line winding down amongst them, down, down, as if its contents only destination was Hell.
"How long have I been out?" he asked.
"About two weeks."
L looked around him; he spotted a window, the curtains drawn back, but from where he lay, he could only see the roofs of some smaller buildings, between them the pieces of what he assumed was a meandering canal.
"Where am I?"
"St. Petersburg -- we stayed for a brief time at the Berlin facilities, but I thought before you woke up it would be best to relocate here."
"A large government presence is not what we need right now, so it was the best choice," L agreed, pushing the covers back and seeing the white bandages dressed across his leg.
"Where is he?"
"The first basement floor."
L rubbed his bed-matted hair. "And what of the task force?"
"I waited until you woke up to confirm what you would have me do about their situation."
L passed his hand over the bandages, but the only thing that registered the movement was his fingers, his leg numb and heavy with pain-killers.
"They are most likely in the same frenzy we left them in…and it's probably been assumed by now that the men involved with Father Rene attacked everyone who entered into that church after the smoke screen was put up.
"Were the cameras retrieved after we left?" he asked as the thought came to him.
"Yes, by Miss Wedy, but after looking them over, she reported that the smoke was so thick that nothing can be made out. She has remained in France to secretly keep tabs on the investigation team, while Mr. Aiber has long left for Japan. He is currently watching Misa Amane."
L was not shocked by this measure; it was perfunctory. Misa was the second Kira, and even though he had made a promise to Rem to not execute her, he had never said anything about leaving her alone.
It seemed that Misa had lost all her memories of being the second Kira, but during the Yotsuba case, she had exhibited suspicious behavior.
For one, how exactly did she get Higuchi to trust her enough to reveal that he was a Kira? The only way L could really see Higuchi believing her would be if she provided proof of her claims -- as in killing someone she promised she would.
Knowing what he knew now -- that shinigamis did actually exist -- it made sense to think that Rem, who seemed to be entirely devoted to Misa, would want to keep her out of trouble and thereby inform her of who the current Kira was. She must have informed Misa of her identity and then aided her afterwards in getting Higuchi to believe her.
It certainly made sense when remembering how contradicting she had been in her actions and her speech the night she had returned.
Misa knew she was the second Kira and that Raito was the first. She just had no memories of that time and she was waiting for Raito to give her instructions. Which would have been easy to accomplish, had Raito not still been handcuffed to him.
Despite the grief he had gotten from the rest of the task force for his delay in taking off the handcuffs, it had saved him the numerous excuses he would have had to create to accompany Raito on his treks to the lobby to speak to Amane.
It had never been his intention to split them up; he wanted both Raito and Misa under his watch at all times. That way he would be spared having to split his focus between two suspects. But he had also needed to appease the investigation team and reluctantly he'd made the decision to release Misa, the lesser evil.
He'd lied and told them that he would also release Raito soon; luckily the trip to France had diverted everyone's attention and Raito had been left chained to him.
And if he could, he would have handcuffed Misa to his other arm.
There was an unaccounted murder-notebook out there and a Kira that was self-aware of what she had been.
But the problem here was where exactly did Raito hide the murder-notebook intended for Misa? Obviously she would have to make the trade again, but with another shinigami because Rem was completely opposed to the idea.
Raito's shinigami?
Where was he? Was he guarding over that notebook?
Rem was devoted to Misa, but for some reason she'd stayed with them during the Lourdes case. Was she also guarding over the notebook he had confiscated?
No, there was the second meeting with the Father when he had not brought the notebook along and she had followed them to the Cathedral regardless…
So was it Raito she had to follow? Now that it was obvious that Raito had been Higuchi's killer that had to be the case.
Did that mean Rem was close by? It probably worked out better for her that way – she could keep an eye on both of them.
But seeing how she would be anxious to go back to Misa – bargaining chip, L's mind immediately determined. Rem would want her freedom and he would want information on where that other notebook was.
He would need to get in contact with Rem.
He needed to be very careful with the way he went about dealing with her. He didn't want her thinking he would break his promise and then have her prematurely kill him. Rem was fiercely protective of Misa…which brought him to his other concern…was Raito's shinigami the same?
L really hoped not, because he had enough problems dealing with one human being. He didn't need a god of death breathing down his neck as well.
"Have you considered what you would have me tell the task force?" Watari reminded, the older man now pouring something out of a silver pitcher and approaching the bed with a tray. He placed it down in front of L, who mechanically swallowed down the two capsules with a glass of water.
L peered down at the tubes in his arms, suddenly moving to pull one out, and Watari, seeing that he required help, sat in the bedside chair and reached for his arm.
"L?" Watari inquired as his silence resumed.
"Tell them…" L hesitated. "Please inform them that both Raito and I are dead."
"He will ask about the body."
"Then give another excuse or cut communications altogether," L instructed quietly. "I cannot properly deal with their situation right now, nor can I give him his son back…dead or alive."
L yanked one of the tubes from his skin and tossed it to the side. "Yagami-san will try to kill himself," he said, gazing sullenly at the bloodied tip.
Watari bowed his head. "We can no longer interfere with his choices, but his colleagues will watch him closely. They will get him to Japan."
L silently grasped another tube, ready to jerk it from his flesh, but Watari gently took hold of his arm and carefully drew it out.
"Watari..."
"Yes?"
"Please transfer the money I had you set aside for each investigation team member. I understand," he muttered, "I understand that the money will never be enough to excuse what I took from Yagami-san…
"…but it is the only thing I can give."
Watari, nodding, rose from the chair, ready to follow orders, but the hasty fingers that had clamped onto his sleeve stopped him.
"What should I do?" L asked suddenly and for the first time in his life. "What do you think I should do?"
Watari stared at the younger man, unsettled by the expression that made him almost forget that L had grown up.
He sat back down in the chair.
"At first, I did not care who dealt out punishment. I would simply let the court systems handle everything once I caught him…
"But then" L said, "somewhere along the line I started to think I should take it upon myself. That when I did catch Kira, I would display him in front of the whole world for the murderer he was. I was even prepared to go so far as to allow his execution to be televised, so that all those who idolized him, who worshipped his way of doing things, they would see what awaited murderers."
L gripped his knees.
"But…I no longer have that option. I invested myself in this case to the point where I showed the task force members my face, I spoke to each of them every day, I learned about what kind of people they were and even about their families…
"If I were to show Raito's face on television, what would happen to Yagami-san? He would certainly kill himself for the shame alone, if the heartache does not crush him first; the media would go into a frenzy, his family would be tormented, no one would want to associate with them anymore…
"I did not think there was any need to ready myself for this moment. I did not think that his family or the people who knew him would matter. Once I unveiled him, what did anything else matter?"
L's hands trembled as his grip tightened.
"He is a curse," he said bitterly, "a walking plight on humanity; everything he touches, everyone he comes into contact with, no one, no one is spared…
"And his family will be afflicted the worse. After all the grieving for their lost son, if I were to announce who Kira was, they would then have to grieve for a mass-murderer."
L shook his head. "I will not add shame to their grief. Living out the rest of their lives with the memory of a perfect son and brother should be theirs to keep, and despite it not being the truth, I will not rob them of that mercy."
Watari, ever silent, placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture to reassure him in his decision; and L, collecting himself, looked to the door of the bedroom and began to turn his body towards it.
"I would like you to contact those two for me, as I can foresee that their services will be needed. I believe that would be the best course of action to take at the moment, but I still need some time to clear up some questions I have…"
L rested his feet tentatively on the carpet.
"I think things will become a bit clearer once I get to see him…"
I am the way into the doleful city
Justice it was that moved my great Creator
Divine omnipotence created me
And highest wisdom joined with primal love
Before me nothing but eternal things were made
And I shall last eternally
Abandon every hope, all you who enter
The bullet that had gone through his leg was a .32 caliber, relatively small, not hollow-tipped, and upon entry it did not fragment and cause further damage.
His femur bone was fractured, but the major artery connected to it had remained untouched, and to save his ability to walk, he now had a metal rod inserted into the cavity of the bone.
It would take six months or possibly longer to heal, so until then he would be confined to a wheel chair.
Turning the corner and finally coming upon his destination, L stopped and took a breath.
The room was large and sound-proofed, and within the center there was another room, 10x10, the walls all made out of metal-layered glass, highly reflective, and able to allow those looking in to not be seen by those looking out.
L opened the outer-door, and moving towards the pad-display on the inner-room's entrance, he pressed in an eight-digit numerical code and listened for the sound of the locks retracting.
L reached for the door handle, and taking another deep and slow breath, he went through...
And there... in the middle of this room and strapped to a chair was Raito; limb to his captor's limb, a black ribbon tied over his eyes, another of the same material restraining his mouth.
L felt the pain in his leg grow unbearable, but he pushed on regardless.
Raito, with ears free, had long discerned that someone was in here with him. L watched him futilely raise his head, those striking eyes hidden away, as well as the mouth that had ceaselessly lied to him.
Reaching out, L deftly plucked the knots of the blindfold away and watched the cloth slip to the floor, exposing pupils that immediately began to shrink away, as if the darkness they had drowned in for the past two weeks was drying up and leaving the real stare behind.
"Good morning, Kira."
L could hear the gasp half-concealed by the gag.
Raito was beginning to squirm under his restraints; L watched him struggle against every strap that tied him down to the chair, from the one fastened securely around his neck to the ones on each ankle.
"Mmph." Raito surged against his bonds, like a bird entangled in netting and brought back to Earth by powers other than itself.
"I told you I would give you a throne," L said and took that time to look Raito dead in the eyes.
"It has been some time since we've last seen each other," he started up conversationally, "and even though I have missed you very much," L continued, "I can honestly say right now that I am not in the mood to hear you sweet talk me."
Leaning over in his wheelchair, L reached behind Raito and fastened the gag even tighter, and then sat back and studied him for a second.
"You look unhappy to see me, but I suppose you thought I was dead after not coming to visit for so long. Do not worry, I am much better now, and I plan to visit you every day. I hope you look forward to that -- as I will be."
Raito's timely response was a glare that made his eyes burn brighter than melted gold.
"It is amazing that you can glare at me like that after all the things you've done. I suppose it is because you have no remorse. That is fine; compunction would have been very late in coming if it was just getting here, and I feel no pity for a monster like you."
L could hear the straps straining against Raito's unfurled vehemence.
"Struggle but I'm not letting you get away. I've been very lenient with you over this past year, I only now realize that my mistake was in treating you like a human being.
"A mistake that I plan on fixing," L punctuated. "I have many things that I would like to discuss with you, Raito-kun, especially in concerns to the murder-notebook that has yet to show up."
L paused and studied Raito intensely. "However, do not mistake my inquiries to suggest we can barter with each other. I have all the evidence I need to convict you and no one would disagree if I executed you right here and now.
"You die today or you die months from now – it makes no difference to me what path you choose to take. I do not need your cooperation, but I will warn you it would be best if you behaved yourself."
L's eyes began to roam around the room before halting on the discarded black ribbon, and careful of his injuries, he bent to the side, scooping up the ribbon and running his thumb over one end.
"My views on Justice, they have not changed since taking on this case. If anything," L told him, "I feel they have grown even stronger. I still believe that for Justice to be completely fair it must be blind," and moving over to Raito, L draped the ribbon over his eyes. "However, your blindness Raito-kun does not stem from fairness, but your own ignorance.
"You imagine yourself to be Judge of the entire human race…
"And for that, Fair Lady Justice," L mocked, tightly knotting the ribbon behind his head, "you will remain here, voiceless and blind, the only thing for you to seduce – your own darkness."
L opened the door to the roof, but a spell of dizziness made him come to a complete stop.
He had a severe migraine all a sudden…but really was it a surprise? He'd lost a lot of blood, and transfusions and a short rest period could only do so much for him before his body started to complain.
Squeezing his eyes shut and pressing a hand against his temple, L tired to will it away.
There was a reason why he'd come up here and it was currently standing out in frigidness of a Russian winter. L felt his wound ache terribly as the cold beyond the door pressed itself inside the building.
"What do you want?" the imposing voice demanded.
L raised his head, composing himself. "I have a few things I would like to speak to you about."
Rem did not turn away from the navy and ashen skyline that was undoubtedly much more interesting than the person behind her. "I have no problem writing your name down in my notebook."
"Yes, I know," L replied and stayed in the shelter of the doorway.
"Then remember to keep your promise, boy," Rem warned.
L could hardly remember a time when anyone had called him boy, but for some reason he was far from offended. To a shinigami, who was infinitely older than him, the title was only appropriate.
L could also understand the shinigami's defensiveness around him.
"One of my men is currently watching her," he confessed. "But I know you would rather not leave something as important as Misa's safety in my hands. I suspect you would rather be there in person –"
"I do not enjoy being manipulated by a human and more specifically a mortal like you," she stated, continuing to stare out at the skyline. "You remind me too much of him and that is going to work against you if you are trying to get me on your side."
L stopped what he was about to say.
"I apologize then if something about me puts you ill at ease; I am not comfortable with your presence either, since it would not take very much for you to kill me."
"No, it is not fear you show towards me," Rem accused. "Both of you never showed fear towards me – you only see opportunity, so if you are going to make a request do it."
L moved out of the doorway and into the blistering cold. "The second notebook," he started, "where is it? Where did Raito hide it?"
"I can not tell you that," she stated.
"So even gods of death have restrictions placed on them. That is unfortunate," L admitted, thinking that now he had no choice but to rely on Raito for answers.
However, he still had many things he would like to confirm with her before moving on with his plans.
"How would a Kira, who has lost his memory, go about retrieving it?" Because now that he was positive that Raito had lost his memories during the Yotsuba case, he needed to know how he'd gotten it back.
"To regain your memory you must touch a deathnote that you once owned; however, once you let go of it you will lose your memories again. To avoid this, you must regain ownership of the deathnote while holding onto it. Only then will you keep your memories."
"And you retrieve ownership by…killing someone with the notebook? Is that right?"
"Yes."
"Then what are all the ways you can lose ownership of the notebook?"
"If the owner dies, if the deathnote is destroyed, if the owner gives up his ownership, or if it is stolen from the owner and he fails to retrieve it before 490 human days have past."
L had planned to make Raito relinquish control of the murder-notebook and give Rem her freedom in exchange for information on the missing notebook. But if he were to do that, Raito would lose all his memories, and that was something that L needed to avoid at all costs. He wanted Raito completely aware of the kind of person he was, so that when he did finally pass judgment on him, Raito would understand the full extent of his crimes.
"Rem-san," L started up gravely, "I cannot give you your freedom from this place now that I have been informed about these rules. To close this case I need the location of that other notebook and it seems Raito is the only one that can give me this information."
However, this change in things also gave him the excuse to bring Misa here.
"I had intended to make Raito give up control of the notebook to you…but it seems that plan is no longer valid. You will be separated from Misa-san until I can retrieve the other notebook."
"Do what you must."
"Though, there is a way around it," L offered, "but you will be against it."
Rem slowly turned to face him, the cold stare she was giving him far icier than the chilling winds beating against them.
"I can arrange for Misa-san to be brought here. But of her own will, of course. I have yet to make good on my promise of erasing her memories," L bluffed, seeing as it was near impossible to do the kind of memory tampering that he had suggested.
However, the more he learned about the rules of the notebook, the more flexible the word "impossible" seemed.
"There is one more thing I would like to ask in concerns to the rules," L said. "I learned about this during the Yotsuba case and the way it was presented could have been a bit clearer if it did not come from shredded material, but…is it true that you can manipulate someone before their death if no one else is involved?"
"Yes, for 23 days," she answered tersely.
L, glancing at the shinigami, especially at the cloak-like wings adorning her back, wondered how he would bring up his next request so as to not offend Rem.
"You took the Father's deathnote – I would like it back please," he said bluntly, but as politely as he could manage. "It is an important piece of evidence." Practically the only solid evidence he had, so he would definitely like it back.
Rem stared at him strangely before reaching into her frock of scaly-feathers and pulling out the deathnote seemingly out of thin air.
"There is a good chance that this deathnote has a shinigami and that he is simply looking for his notebook," Rem informed him. "If you do have an intention to use this notebook on Raito, be aware that the shinigami will appear in front of you within 39 days of you receiving ownership."
L stared at the black notebook.
He had been very close to becoming the new owner two weeks ago, and he could definitely use that 23-day rule in order to obtain all the information he wanted from Raito.
But that kind of death…it seemed too good for Raito. He wouldn't have to suffer at all, because he would lose his free will and not be conscious of what he was doing. He would practically be dead, a talking corpse.
He didn't want Raito to breeze through death as he did with life. He wanted him to be fully conscious of his actions, his words – that was the only way he could really hurt Raito, the only way to successfully punish him.
Raito did not need to be judged by devices that were otherworldly. No, he would be tried by human means. The problem with Raito was that he viewed himself outside this realm and L thought it was high time to drag him back to the real world.
L watched as Rem dropped the deathnote in the snow, and reaching down he picked it up and dusted off the cover.
"I can speak to them if you feel unwell," Watari offered as he watched L rub his wound, an unconscious grimace on his face.
"No," he refused, "I need to talk to them in person."
He understood how critical a moment this was. Bringing in outsiders was always something he tried to avoid, but he'd been breaking that rule for some time now, and for necessity's sake.
When Misa was brought here, Watari would be assigned to watch her and be at her services. He would also be passively trying to get information out of her, as that was the only way they could avoid angering Rem.
With Watari occupied, there was no one left to deal with Raito, who would more than require a constant presence around. And if he was going to torture Raito, at this point, Watari would be unsuitable for the job anyway.
He had been around Raito for far too long as a benign presence, one that served him food and actually had taken to him favorably with little gestures. Raito would not be frightened into admitting anything by Watari, and the latter, despite combat readiness, would have some trouble with Raito, as L needed persons who could easily overpower Raito and not by stealthy maneuvers.
L opened the bedroom door.
Showing his face was the first move in laying down a solid foundation between two distrustful parties. Anyone, no matter what their principles, would rather put their trust in a human being rather than a computer monitor, and for this to go well he needed their conviction.
The two men he hired were seated on the couch, and as soon as they caught sight of him, L could see a faint reaction at his appearance, one more than the other.
"I am L."
Mr. Tailor, as one of the men was aliased, rose from his seat.
And L immediately wished he hadn't, because this gentleman was 6' 3'' and it would be best if L didn't have to look directly up to discuss this case. The other man, Mr. Hunde, following in his partner's footsteps, also stood, which seeing that he was about the same height as Mr. Tailor, did not make L feel any better.
"Please have a seat," he told them as he came to a halt in the wheelchair.
"As my contact has all ready informed you, I have a job that I would like the both of you to consider. I will obviously pay you handsomely for any inconveniences that my short notice may be imparting." L tapped a few keys on the laptop placed on the coffee table, and then turned the screen in their direction so they could see what he was willing to transfer into a Swiss bank account for them.
"Will this amount be acceptable?"
Mr. Tailor raised an eyebrow.
"That price is negotiable, as you have yet to hear the details of your job--however," L closed the laptop to get their attention away from all the zeros, "I must have your answer now before I go into any specifics. If you do not take this job after I give out important information you can see what position that leaves me in. So it is, as you say, either all or nothing?"
Mr. Tailor nodded his head. "I can pretty much guess what you have lined up for us if this is the amount being offered. Your price is…well it certainly makes my answer almost seem repetitive." He glanced over at the laptop. "Count me in."
"And you, Mr. Hunde?" L asked, as these two were partners as much as mercenaries.
"It's…a lot of money; but I'm unsure if I feel comfortable accepting the terms as they are. I always get the fine print from any employer." Mr. Hunde rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But since you are a very high priority client, I can maybe overlook it this once…
"I accept."
"Then we have an understanding," L concluded.
He did not ask them to follow, but they got the hint after watching his timely exit from the den.
Entering the elevator, L pressed the button for the first basement floor.
"It is no secret that I am working on the Kira case," L announced, "and since I have not continuously informed the public of my gains, it would seem that I have made no progress in my investigation."
L stared at the two men severely.
"Before we get down there, I would like to make something very clear.
"I am 100 percent positive that I have caught Kira. I did not hire you two to ascertain that fact for me. Collecting evidence, I believe, is the only way I could have caught him, and since your services are to an extreme, I would like you to understand that there is no chance that what you will be doing is based on weak proof."
L had to make that distinction. He had once instructed Watari to torture Misa, and he had said to do whatever it took to make her talk, but depriving her of water and questioning her had been the farthest they would go.
With Raito, however, it would be an entirely different story.
"However," the doors swished open, "Due to circumstances that I did not foresee I will need a confession, and by that I mean a very detailed record of how the offender went about with his crimes, from what he was feeling at the time he committed each act down to any micellaneous particulars that will further incriminate him. And as specifics go, I will also need to know where he hid a certain murder weapon, but for now that explanation should suffice," L finished, as they finally reached the room.
"So without further ado…" L moved towards the glass and pointed.
"I give you Kira."
Both men stopped in their tracks, and if their initial reactions to him, however minute, had been plainly visible, the affect Raito had on them was ridiculously blatant.
"What the hell?" Tailor muttered and moved his face closer to the glass.
Hunde, removing his dark shades, stared at the monitor to the side of him that displayed a front view of Raito seated in the chair.
"I expect you will read the dossiers on him, but it will not hurt to give you the basic information now." L placed a hand on the glass and stared at the figure on the other side, picturesque in all his deadly beauty.
"Raito Yagami: age, eighteen; nationality, Japanese; he has no previous convictions; his home situation is well-off; he has two parents and a sister, his father is the chief investigator for the NPA and has greatly aided me on this case.
"He was a senior in high school when he became Kira, and I only moved in on him when he began college; from there I personally observed him and he was able for about a year to elude me and continually commit his crimes under surveillance."
"You didn't tell us he was a...child," Hunde pointed out and ran a hand through his dark hair.
"Child or not, he is eighteen years old and that constitutes him as an adult that bears the full responsibility of his actions." L began to punch in his password. "If this goes against your principles then I apologize, but we have a contract."
L made a stay motion with his hand as he entered, and switched on the lights so the two outside were no longer visible through the glass. "Hello, Raito-kun" he greeted as he pulled up to him and removed the blindfold in one swift motion. "You look like you have acclimated yourself to your new home, but I will be moving you very soon so please do not get too comfortable."
Raito shifted in his restraints.
"You also look like you wish to tell me something," L said, reaching behind him, "But unlike earlier, I would actually like to hear what you have to say."
The two, watching behind the glass, expected to see him flip out now that the gag was lifted. However, Kira simply looked around the room, his eyes level and neutral.
He took a breath.
"Where am I?" he asked softly.
L tilted his head as if it were loosely connected to his body. "You are in any place I see fit to incarcerate you – you do not need to know the location."
"Where is the investigation team?"
L tilted his head the other way. "You ask some very peculiar questions when you should all ready know the answers to them."
"Why am I here?"
L gazed intensely at Raito. "Please do not play dumb, it does not suit you."
L assumed Raito knew he was being watched by eyes other than himself, and it was understandable that he did not want to further incriminate himself, but it was almost unbelievable how someone could just lie so out-rightly.
"You are here because you are Kira," he punctuated when he was met with silence. "With the amount of evidence I have against you, I do not think anyone could deny that."
"So where's my lawyer?" Raito asked cheekily and L looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"I would like to see a lawyer attempt to defend you in court."
"Then should I defend myself?" Raito confidently offered and looked down at his restraints. "I should at least be tried in my own country. You haven't even given me a proper indictment, so I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish here."
L scratched behind his head. A small smile was gracing his features, as if the detective was amused; but the way his eyes were stony and grave more correctly reflected how greatly troubled he was by all of this.
"Knowing what I know, you can still calmly lie to my face." L lowered his eyes. "But I expected as much, as owning up to your crimes and dying with some dignity is beyond a person like you."
"Say what you like," Raito dismissed, "it doesn't change the fact that this is kidnapping."
L stopped himself from replying as it was stupid that he felt the need to defend himself. What did he need to defend?
"Arguing with you is not what I came here for," L clarified. "I actually came to give you one last try at redemption."
He leaned forward and gazed deeply into those unwavering eyes.
"When you have already committed the crime and have been caught, what else is there for you to hang on to? Give up, accept your punishment, and confess Raito. What sense is there in continuing to lie to me when I already know everything?"
Raito was sitting there so serenely that L could not help but feel immensely agitated. Those eyes were coolly picking him apart; L could almost hear the words Raito was mockingly repeating in his head, so expressed it was in those eyes that Raito didn't even have to move a muscle in his face to show L what he was thinking...
Not everything...
L frowned. "If I were you, I would accept my terms and cooperate."
Raito stared at him, those soft, russet-colored eyes glowing richly in the white enclosure.
"Go fuck yourself."
L twitched and his jaw went tense.
"Well…you've made yourself more than clear on what stance you'll be taking with me. I suppose I should do the same," L concluded and waved the two men inside.
Raito's expression was vacant, but his eyes were wholly absorbed on the two moving towards him, knowing exactly what they were here for. However, he did not seem to expect it when L, leaning over him, began tying the gag back into place.
"I do not see the point in rushing answers out of you. If you wish to be stubborn that is your problem."
Passing both men on his way to the door, L whispered something under his breath to them; he then walked out of the room without looking back.
A/n: I never noticed this before (blame my slowness), but when you turn the cover of the seventh volume upside down to see the picture of L right-side up, the seven is an L. Ohba, unplanned manga, my ass. We all know the truth.
1. The words Dante uttered before he makes his journey through the nine levels of Hell and learns about the different contrapasso (or just punishment) that the sinners in each level must face.
2. The inscription on the gate leading to Hell. "Divine Omnipotence, Highest Wisdom, and Primal Love are respectively the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Thus, the gate of Hell was created by the Trinity moved by Justice."