A/N: I'm getting into a little more information here about Light's past…just a little here and there. And I thought I needed to explain a little more about my vampire rules. Every person has their own rules about what kills vampires, how they live, etc. And although this is loosely Twilight based….I'm totally not following those vampire rules. No sparkling allowed!
Disclaimer: I'd like to own L…but all I own is an L plushie that I love and hug and squeal over like the pathetic fangirl that I am.
That day at lunch, L spent an unusually long amount of time observing Mello, Matt, and Near. They had looked like relatively normal kids, but now that he knew what they really were, he noticed some odd behavior. Near didn't eat anything for lunch. He spent his time restlessly wandering around the lunch tables in his bare feet. No wonder no one had reprimanded him for not wearing shoes. They couldn't see him. Matt was fiddling with some electronic equipment while Mello tried to open a chocolate bar, complaining about how difficult it was. When Matt made no move to help him, Mello resorted to tearing it open with his teeth. L nearly flinched, imagining those same sharp teeth ripping through human flesh.
"I never meant to frighten you," Light's honeyed voice intoned sadly. "I just thought you would like to know the dangers you were facing."
L tore his eyes from the scene and blinked innocently at Light. "Yes, I appreciate you finally telling me things. I suppose you were afraid I wouldn't believe you at first."
Light nodded. "Most people don't believe in the supernatural. It's hard to convince them without proof. That's why we took you to Crystal Cove first. After what you saw, the explanations are easier."
"Indeed," L agreed. "But I don't think you're telling me everything still. Mello and his group cannot be the only danger I am facing. I don't see why you need to hide anything from me. After what I've just seen, surely I would believe anything you tell me."
Light looked pained. "It's not that I don't think you'll believe me, it's just that if I tell you what's really happening-" He broke off with a sigh. "There's a war going on here and I don't want to involve you in it."
"I'm already involved," L said indignantly. "Mello is now after me because of my association with you. If you didn't want to involve me, you should have stayed away from me in the first place."
Light reached out a hand to stroke L's cheek affectionately. "I know. It would have been safer if I had let you be driven out of town like all the others. But I couldn't bear to see you leave again. And while you're here, your best chance of survival is with me. I can protect you from everything. I owe it to Noru."
L frowned. "How well did you really know my father?"
Light smiled faintly.. "He was my best friend as a child. You see, my name back then was Laird Hedricz. I was adopted by a band of gypsies. Every summer, we came into town and I played with your father."
"I thought Laird Hedricz was your father."
Light grinned. "I thought you didn't believe that."
L frowned. "So, since you apparently stay this age forever, you must keep leaving town and then reentering it under a new identity."
Light shook his head. "We don't stay young forever." He looked up, spotting Matsuda. He motioned for him to head over to the table.
Matsuda gratefully slid into a seat next to Light. "Hey, L," he said cheerfully. "Do you want some of my fruit salad? They ran out of watermelon though so all I've got are bananas and cantaloupe." He sighed sadly.
"You don't like bananas?" L asked incredulously. He speared a slice of banana with a plastic fork and slid it into his mouth. Delicious. Matsuda didn't know what he was missing.
Matsuda smiled awkwardly. "I don't mind bananas, but I can't really eat them. I mean…I can eat them, but I can't taste them. Err…well…I suppose I can taste them a little but really-"
Light cut him off. "Since Matsuda is a thrall, he survives only on red foods. Anything that is not red has very little taste and no nutritional value. He could eat bananas all day long but it would be just like drinking water and not eating any real food."
"I see," L murmured. He gazed at Matsuda solemnly. He was learning more and more about the supernatural every day. This rule about only eating red food didn't make much sense, but the supernatural world wasn't known for order and logic.
Matsuda rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, something like that. I'm lucky I don't need to eat much because my food choices are very limited."
"I pity you, Matsuda," L said softly. "You'll never know the taste of chocolate cake, lemon pudding, or Oreo cookies."
Light shook his head. "Only you would consider that a hardship, L."
"Don't feel too bad," Matsuda assure him quickly. "I can eat plenty of sweets. Red skittles, red M&Ms, red jelly beans, red Starbursts."
"I think he gets the picture," Light growled.
Matsuda flashed him an embarrassed smile. "Well, yeah. Don't worry about me. I'm luckier than Light is. If he tries to eat anything that's not red, he says it tastes like ash to him. That's a lot worse than having to eat things with no flavor."
Light smirked. "I've learned to put ketchup on everything."
L looked at him questioningly. "I thought you vampires only drank blood. You eat human food too?"
Light sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't keep us going for very long. It only temporarily slakes our hunger. Mostly, it seems to be just a comforting reminder of the human life we once lived." He gazed off into the distance. "I still remember when all the foods I used to love became like ash on my tongue." He sighed wistfully. "I used to eat so well as a rich man's son." His eyes slid shut as he struggled to call up ancient memories. "Braised lamb, roasted venison…"
"You know," Matsuda said softly. "I could always eat those things for you and you could taste them through my blood."
Light's eyes opened slowly. "No, Matsuda, it's not quite the same." He smiled pleasantly. "But thank you for the offer. It's so nice to have such an accommodating thrall." He slung a companionable arm around Matusda's shoulder. "Whenever I crave something, I get him to eat it for me. It's an excellent partnership."
Matsuda flushed at the praise. "I'm supposed to do that. You're my master, after all."
"Indeed." Light playfully squeezed Matsuda's hand. "That's what thralls are for." He paused suddenly, noticing a jagged scar running across Matsuda's hand. "When did that happen?"
Matsuda jerked his hand back nervously. "Um, just yesterday. M-mikami was a little rough. Don't worry about me. I heal quickly."
"I know." Light's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "But I haven't eaten recently and you know how tempting an open wound is to me."
Matsuda reluctantly held his hand out to Light. Light licked his canine teeth, which seemed to grow a little sharper before L's eyes.
"You're really going to feed right here?" L hissed in disbelief. "Mello and his gang are only a few tables away. They'll see you."
Light looked up briefly, sizing up the group of vampire hunters. Mello and Matt were locked in a heated argument about motorcycles of all things. They would too busy to notice anything. He could make it quick. He brought Matsuda's hand up to his lips. His sharp teeth tore open the scab and he bit down softly on Matsuda's palm.
L had expected that being a thrall would be a difficult, painful life since Matsuda was expected to be a food source for Light and Mikami. Matsuda would be bitten several times and L knew that Light's teeth were sharp and would hurt quite a bit. But Matsuda didn't seem to be in any pain at all. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying himself. A relaxed smile slid across his face as Light took a small swallow of his blood.
Light finished by slowly running his tongue across the reopened wound, his saliva effectively sealing it shut and preventing further blood loss. Light licked his lips contentedly, his teeth already shorter and far less pointed. He smiled softly at L. "Sorry you had to see that. At least I wasn't starving. I just needed a little snack. We've all seen how vampires behave when they're starving. It's not pretty. I like to eat a little bit each week so I never get as far gone as Mikami allows himself to go."
"Speaking of Mikami, "L murmured. "Where is he?"
Light sighed. "Off with Misa. They have….certain duties to perform."
L's eyes narrowed. "I'm already involved, Light. You might as well tell me. I will find out sooner or later anyway and it will be much easier if I learn it directly from you."
Light shuddered. "There are things that I hope you never learn. I want to protect your innocence."
"How bad could it be?" L argued.
Light's eyes widened. "Quiet. Here comes the terrible trio. We'll discuss this later."
L looked up. Mello and Matt were coming towards them with what looked like a miniature television set connected to a large battery. But L knew better. It was probably some nefarious vampire-detecting device. Near, as usual, simply came along to watch. He sighed. Of course those three would interrupt just as Light was about to tell him something good. Oh well. He would hold Light to his promise and find out later. He was not about to let Light get away with keeping secrets from him.