A/N: I don't know why Mikami really wants to be bitchy…but he does. I hope I can get him reigned in soon. And Misa is being…overly nice. Usually I hate Misa…but she's being cute and perky and Alice-like. Damn you, Misa. Umm…anyway, there's a bit more about the town in this chapter. I tried to make a small town…and I kind of suck at it. I live in Corona, which is the center of the universe, according to people I know. It's not a small town. So, if it sounds a little…ridiculous, bear with me.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone…I really wish I did though. It would be awesome.
L was not looking forward to chemistry class at all. Light was a good lab partner, that much could be said. He could capably run any experiment, even while trying to convince L that he needed a friend. L wanted to keep Light as his lab partner. He was one of the few people L had ever worked with that actually helped out with his fair share of the work. But L preferred to work in silence.
It was probably a losing battle. He was sure to surrender to Light eventually. After all, Light was gorgeous and a very charismatic person. Even L's legendary walls of caution seemed no match for Light. L supposed to some degree he was attracted to Light. There really was no other explanation for his weakness around Light. Part of him must be yearning to form a relationship with Light even as the logical side of L knew that it was too dangerous. No wonder Light wasn't leaving. He was sending him mixed messages.
The bell rang for chem. class to start, but Light was nowhere in sight. L hoped it meant that Light was ditching. It would give him a chance to do some serious thinking while he worked on his experiment. He needed to figure out why he was so attracted to Light. Sure, he was the most beautiful person L had ever seen, but that meant nothing. Why did he always feel like he could trust Light with everything when he barely knew him?
Light slid into his seat next to L as the teacher started going over the details of the experiment. He winked at L. "Miss me?"
L said nothing. He made a show of copying down the instructions from the board, hoping Light would take the hint and do the same.
But Light did not take notes. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. L could feel Light gaze on him, but he refused to look.
Finally, Mr. Winter erased the board. He instructed the students to begin working while he went into the supply closet to prepare the second part of the experiment.
Light rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, time to get titrating."
"I hope you know what you're doing," L muttered, glancing at his page of notes. "You didn't write down the instructions."
Light snickered. "I don't need to. I've done this lab before."
L's eyes widened, and he glanced at Light surreptitiously as Light began doing the set-up. "You've repeated this class?"
"No," Light growled. "I've just done this lab before."
"Where-"
"Drop it," Light snarled, turning to glare at L.
L quickly looked back down at his page of notes. "Okay, we've got our burette set up. And you've got the solution, right there." He tapped a flask with his pencil.
Light chuckled. "Everything is fine. You don't need to double-check."
L ignored him. "One pipette…okay. And where's the indicator?" He searched across the desk.
"Right here." Light set it in front of him.
"Okay…good. I think we have everything."
"I know we have everything." Light snickered.
L sighed. "Would you like to begin?"
"You know, it's normally polite to look at someone when you talk to them."
"I don't want to," L murmured. "I can't think when I look at you."
"Oh, is that right? Hey, L, do we have one of these on our list?"
L glanced up briefly to see what Light was holding, and found himself looking right into Light's eyes. L sank further into his chair and stared at Light, unable to look away even if he wanted to. "Light," L murmured.
"You can trust me," Light said soothingly. "Why do you keep running from me?"
"I don't want to end up like my mother," L murmured drowsily. "She married a man from this town and look what happened to her. I can't get close to you. You're dangerous for me."
Light looked away, breaking the spell. "You're right. I am dangerous."
L's eyes widened. 'What do you mean?"
"It's exactly like you said. I'm from this town. We're safe, but the outsiders aren't. It's probably a good idea, L."
L nodded. "I'm only here until I turn eighteen. Then I'll go to college somewhere in the city and escape this curse."
"I thought you didn't believe in the curse," Light teased.
"My mother believed in it," L said simply. "It drove her mad. She tried to kill herself several times. I don't believe in the supernatural, but you do. I refuse to end up like my father. He had to be infected by her madness somehow. At the end, he was just as terrified as she was. They died together in a pool of blood."
Light shuddered. "So both your parents went crazy and killed themselves?"
"Killed each other," L said solemnly. "I refuse to share their fate. If madness runs in my family, I will not doom you to die with me. If it is a supernatural curse, you are from this town and marrying you will doom me. A relationship is out of the question."
Light raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about marrying you? I just want to be friends."
L shook his head. "Even that is out of the question, I fear. It would be too easy to be tempted."
Light was silent for the rest of the class period. As soon as the bell rang, L rose to leave. But Light wasn't giving up so easily.
"L," Light murmured, putting his arm around L's shoulder.
L tried to shrug him off. "I told you, it's not a good-"
L froze as Light's eyes bored into his. "Come with me," Light said softly.
L nodded. His eyes stayed focused on Light's face as they walked out of the classroom, Light's arm still over his shoulder.
As L slowly came back to himself, he realized that now they were walking down an unfamiliar street. His feet refused to stop, even as he decided that he didn't want to go wherever Light was leading him.
"Where are we?" L demanded.
Light was gazing off into the distance, purposefully not looking at L. "It's okay, we're just a block away from school."
"Why?" L pressed. "Is school done for the day?"
"No." Light smirked. "We're ditching."
L's eyes narrowed. "And why are you doing this? Are you attempting to get me in trouble because I refuse to be your friend?"
Light feigned innocence. "How could I possibly get you in trouble?"
"You're leading me somewhere," L muttered. "And you will get me hopelessly lost And then I will be unable to return."
Light rolled his eyes. "I'm here with you, you know. We came here together."
"Wrong. You dragged me here against my will. I don't know how you are doing it, Light. Every time I look at you, I'm suddenly telling you things I don't want to tell you or doing things I don't want to do. What are you doing to me?"
Light laughed easily. "Don't get crazy, L. It happens a lot, usually only with girls though. They start talking to me and pretty soon they're so absorbed in their conversation with me, that they don't notice that they're already at their next class until I tell them so."
L frowned. "I don't think that's quite the case."
"Oh, it is. I know it is. It's the curse of being attractive. Once you start staring at me, everything else becomes unimportant."
L scowled. "That sounds rather narcissistic."
"L, stop making me sound like a bad guy. I only wanted to show you around town."
"By ditching school," L muttered.
"I would have invited you to join me after school, but I doubt you would come. It has to be now."
L had nothing to say to that. It was true.
"Well, anyway, welcome to Grayville!" Light announced. "We are currently walking down Rocking Horse Lane. On your left is the Grayville Public Library."
L sighed. "Must you use the tour guide voice?"
"You have to use the tour guide voice!" an excited female voice squealed.
L whipped around to see Misa running up to them. Mikami followed behind at a slower pace.
Misa flung herself at Light. "Ooh, ditching school! This is so much fun."
"Why are you here?" Light muttered, trying vainly to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"We couldn't let you get in trouble all by yourself," Misa purred. "Why would Misa want to miss out on all the excitement?"
Light sighed. "Okay…let's continue."
"That's Misa's house right there!" Misa said excitedly, pointing at a yellow house with a basket of flowers on the porch. "Misa lives at 212 Rocking Horse Lane. Isn't it great how close Misa is to school and the library?"
"Yes, great," Light muttered through gritted teeth.
Misa launched herself next at Mikami. "You have to show L where you live too! And where Light lives!"
Mikami sighed. "Turn at the next corner and I'll show you."
The group walked around the corner. Mikami pointed at a small, dingy house with a dead lawn. "There it is. You happy?"
Misa looked at Mikami sadly. "Did all the flowers die?"
"I never had flowers," Mikami muttered. "I hate them anyway."
"But flowers are so pretty. How could you ever hate them?"
"Guys," Light growled. "We're showing L around the town, not arguing about flowers, okay?"
"Okay," Misa responded perkily.
Mikami sighed heavily. "We don't need to take L everywhere. That'll take too long. He just needs to know the main points. There are four main roads in this town, Wilderness Road, Tripert's Pass, Blinkert's Pass, and Springer Street. Everything else is houses."
"High school, the police station, and the grocery store are all on Wilderness Road," Light continued. "The doctor's office, the junior high, and the elementary school are all on Springer Street. Tripert and Blinkert lead out of town."
"We are not giving L a tour anymore?" Misa asked sadly.
Light sighed. "We'll take L past my house and then send him on home. We don't want to keep him out all day or old man Ryuuzaki might worry."
The group walked on down Mikami's street until it turned onto Crystal Creel Court.
"This is a dead-" Light coughed delicately. "A dead end."
"A cul-de-sac?" L asked.
"Well, it used to be a longer street, but the houses down at one side of the street were all burned in a fire several years ago so they blocked it off. Halfway up the road, it turns onto Apple Alley Way. That's my street. Matsuda lives right next door. I live halfway down the street on the right side. And from Apple Alley, we can get back to Wilderness Road."
"I see," L murmured.
Misa led the way as they turned onto Apple Alley Way. "Light's house is all pretty," she chirped. "He's got a garden in his backyard. My kitty likes to visit his house and play in the garden."
Light pointed out his house. The lawn was neatly trimmed and the paint on the white fence surrounding the backyard looked fresh. There were no flowers on the front porch, but there was a bench.
"My folks like to sit outside when the evenings are nice and just look at the stars," Light explained. "Matsuda's family lives right next door. They've got a bench too. So sometimes our families sit outside together and talk."
"How neighborly," L muttered.
Light frowned. "And you live way on top of that hill. Old man Ryuuzaki never liked neighbors. I don't know why he'd want to live up there all by himself. And he wanted to keep the old dirt road. Your house is the only house on that hill, and that road is the only one that leads up there. It must suck having to walk down that hill every day to get to school."
"It's fine," L murmured. "If my grandfather wishes to be isolated, he is entitled to his isolation. If he also does not wish to have modern conveniences, he is entitled to his old ways as well."
"No television?" Misa wailed. "How does L live like that?"
"He has an old set. And he has really old wiring for the lights. They flicker a lot."
Misa shuddered. "Spooky. Misa would rather live in town where she can have pretty flowers and lights that actually work."
L smiled tentatively. "Yes, it would be nice to have working electronics. But it is a temporary situation. Once I move out, I'll find some place with electricity."
"You could move in with me," Light suggested.
L shook his head. "No, that will not be necessary."
The group reached Wilderness Road and they stopped at the spot where Hilltop Trail veered off from the main road and ended in a dirt trail.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Light said with a quick grin.
Misa flung herself at L. "Misa shall miss you! L better be careful in that spooky old house without lights. Misa doesn't want to hear of L getting hurt walking around in the dark."
"I'll be careful," L promised. "I'll see you tomorrow, Misa."
Mikami pried Misa off of L and the trio headed back towards their houses, leaving L to climb the hill alone.