Author's Note: I would like to apologize in advance for the lack of detail in this chapter—the events described are not my forte.

December 21st

5:04 am

Light sighed, staring down into his tea. The hotel suite was quiet. None of them had returned home last night, instead waiting for Kira to call and then working out the details of the plan late into the night. Despite that, Light could not sleep for long. It was not the hotel couch or the loud snoring of Matsuda and his father that kept him up, but rather the thought of what was to come. Light could hardly believe that everything would soon be coming to a close. It seemed too good to be true, and he was afraid that everything would go horribly wrong.

"Nerves, Light?"

Light hadn't known his hands were shaking, but it became abundantly clear that they had been when he jumped and slopped hot tea all over his hands. L padded into the kitchen on silent, bare feet, one hand in his pocket and the other hand at his mouth, resting at the edge of his lips. His posture was hunched, and he helped himself to some of the tea in the pot while refilling Light's cup. Light murmured his thanks and sipped it, ignoring the burning on his tongue.

"I did not mean to startle you," L said, seemingly fascinated by dropping sugar cubes into his tea.

Light started sopping up the small mess of tea he had made. "Can't you sleep, L? You deal with these things more often. Surely you should be used to it by now."

L raised his dark eyes to Light's at that. The stare was impossibly wide, and Light shivered a little. L turned back to his sugar, lips quirked almost imperceptibly. "I am an insomniac," he said, "...and there are some things that one can never get used to."

Light snorted at that. "You might sleep better," Light suggested, "if you ate less sugar and drank less caffeine."

"Perhaps," L conceded, "but I would also think less clearly. Reasoning ability comes first."

"Let me guess. That's also the reason for your ridiculous way of sitting?" Light asked, amused. L fixed him with his blank stare again. Light's lips quirked into a real smile then. "It is, isn't it."

"It's not ridiculous," L sulked into his tea.

"Right," Light smiled, sipping his tea. He slopped a little down his front, hands still shaking. "God damn it."

L passed him a napkin with a considering look on his face. "You were the junior tennis champion in middle school, were you not?"

Light stopped soaking up the tea to stare at the detective. "That's... creepy and random, but yes, I was."

"I also played tennis when I was younger." L returned the stare, too-wide eyes shining with renewed life from his syrupy brew of tea.

Light raised an eyebrow. "Is this a weird attempt at bonding? It's not working very well."

L's lips quirked. "Ah, no, not exactly. I was actually going to propose that we play each other." His dark eyes lowered to Light's hands. "It might help with the nerves."

Light considered it. "I don't have any proper clothes for it."

"We can go by your house to get clothes. We have plenty of time before we are supposed to meet Kira."

"What if you're seen? If Kira can kill with just a face..."

"I will wear a hat and sunglasses, although it is highly unlikely that I would be in danger even without them." L downed the last of his syrupy tea. "If you don't want to-"

"No!" Light said quickly. L raised a dark eyebrow into the tangled mess of his hair. "No. I want to. Anything to distract myself."

L nodded, obviously having expected this answer, and slipped his feet into loose, ratty white sneakers by the door of the hotel suite. "We shall have to walk, as I do not drive."

The walk was quiet at first, but Light finally decided that he wasn't going to pass this chance up. He was walking with L, the world's greatest detective, and the man didn't seem completely opposed to conversation. He would regret it all his life if he didn't make the most of his situation. All this time, being bored with no one on his intellectual level...

"You said that you don't drive," Light said finally, having worked up the courage. L tilted his head in Light's direction, the only sign that he was paying attention, as most of his face was covered by the large sunglasses. With anyone else, it would have been frustrating, but L's expression was so naturally unreadable that it hardly made any difference. "Is that by choice, or because you can't?"

L's lips quirked slightly, briefly, at some little secret joke. Light felt himself smiling, too. "Depends who you ask. I do not like it if I can avoid it, however." He paused. "Do you know how to drive? That's not the sort of thing that comes up in investigations," he added as an explanation.

"I know the basics, but I've never actually driven. There's not much point in it in such a large city, but I plan to get more practice before entering the police force." If I enter the police force, he added silently. Curse Sayu for sowing the seeds of doubt in his mind. Light frowned. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"You may, although I cannot guarantee that I will answer."

"How did you end up becoming... a detective?" Light would not say 'L' out loud; the man may be in disguise, but he wasn't about to risk being overheard. "Was it something you always wanted to do, or?..."

"Are you asking me for career advice?" L asked, lips quirking minutely again, but he did not wait for Light to respond. "I don't think I can help you. My childhood and transition into this line of work was vastly atypical. I was under the impression that you wanted to follow in your father's footsteps and go into the police force?"

"...Yeah," Light muttered, unlocking the door to his house and looking beside the door for his mother's and sister's shoes. He was in luck; no one was home. He slipped his shoes off and trudged up the stairs to his room, gathering clothes in a mild daze. Was he stuck, then? Destined to travel the same track as his father, slipping into boredom until he died?

"Don't worry so much about it."

Light jumped. He hadn't heard L following him up the stairs. The man hovered in the doorway, hands in his pockets and looking very out of place in the neat room.

"You still have college ahead of you. Lots of people have doubts about what they want to do at your age."

Light smiled a little. "I'm sorry. I've put you out of your comfort zone."

"Yes, quite."

Light laughed at the blunt honesty, shoving the clothes into a duffel bag and grabbing his old tennis racket from his closet. "Thanks, anyway."

L shrugged and led the way out of the house.

L's advice didn't seem to be the best, but somehow Light felt a bit better, anyway. He often felt so distanced from his peers that it was hard to remember that- even though he was smart, wiser than most his age- he was still only 17. He had a lot ahead of him, and a lot to learn still.

With a slight wince, he made a note to make it up to his dad for yelling at him the day before.

"Epiphany, Light?" L sounded amused, and the voice snapped Light out of his thoughts. "We're here."

"Oh. Right."

8:00 am

L bounced the ball slowly, contemplating the teenager on the opposite side of the court. It figured, really, that the first person who ever really interested him was off limits. Not only was he involved in this investigation, he was young—too young. Even if he wasn't legally still a minor, he was seven years younger.

But damn it, that couldn't stop L from wishing.

It wasn't just that Light was smart (but he was smart, he was really smart, he was L smart). Light was brilliant, and good, and just, but sarcastic, and

And 17.

And passionate, with all those pent up emotions that L got to see because he had been in the right place at the right time to see his chest heave with emotion and eyes light up with fury and righteous indignation and

And 17.

"Sir?" L almost groaned. Don't make it worse. "It's your serve."

10:00 am

Light shook his damp hair with a slight grimace. He felt dirty now, but pleasantly tired; too tired to be jittery, although not even complete exhaustion could calm his nerves about the coming confrontation. He had at least brought clean clothes, but he could have used a shower...

Light raised an eyebrow at L's odd, piercing stare. "Are you all right? I didn't beat you that badly."

L looked oddly relieved. Yes, please, assume that I'm upset about my loss. "I do hate to lose... come. There is time for cake before we go, and it is essential that we are both at our optimum reasoning capacities."

Light laughed, and L shoved his hands into his pockets roughly. "If you say so."