# 86 Book

Light's pen moved rapidly. One name, then another, and another. People dying one by one, with one swipe of ink another life ended. It was enjoyable, after a while, to think of new and interesting ways for their demises.

And to do all this while his nemesis sat not two feet away was exhilarating. He actually felt vaguely breathless.

It was so simple. Hiding the notebook in one of his own schoolbooks, sitting and pretending to write out essays of research into criminology, being such a good, dutiful student, keeping up with all his schoolwork plus helping to catch that awful Kira.

All the time he was killing people. Right in front of L's stupid blank face.

The fool. Eventually, Light would see him die, and he would die in a particularly unpleasant and interesting way.

Maybe he'd have one of the investigation team kill him. Matsuda, yes, he'd do, he was supposedly a crack-shot. It was about his most redeeming feature.

The best part of thinking up interesting ways to kill people, Light realised, was that they couldn't be traced back to Kira. Oh, yes, his message was the heart attack that told people Kira had claimed another victim, but the other ways were fun too. Besides, they all deserved to die, it was just a question of which ones deserved to die more, the ones who deserved to suffer, to scream and beg for mercy, to fall, weeping at his metaphorical feet.

It was so damn easy to work the names of criminals into the paper. Even if L looked, he'd never suspect a thing. Light was just writing about current cases, after all. Nothing suspicious there.

The old man would have to go too.

He was too dangerous, hanging around L like a vulture over his work. He was bound to be as able as L to stop Light.

If Light was honest, he was almost certain that should anything happen to L, Watari would not let a little thing like evidence stop him from placing Light in a custody that would be, without a doubt, worse than death.

Another name. Light could hear the screams in his head. Righteous justice.

Soon, he knew, his followers would see their god, he would kill L, his handler, and then he would reveal to his people who he was, and then who would dare to stand in his way?

"Yagami-kun, you're all red."

Light shook his head, smiled in his innocent way. "Am I? It's warm in here L… and thinking about all these criminals makes me angry… I know what Kira's doing can't be justified, but even so… there's so many, L."

L nodded slightly. "I see." He lowered his eyes to the notebook. "Keep up your work, Yagami-kun, wouldn't want your grades to be Kira's next victim."

It was almost arousing; L had just looked at Kira's murder weapon, and was still none-the-wiser.

L was sitting right next to the very man he was hunting and had just told him to carry on.

Scratch almost, it was arousing. The sheer power and shamelessness of it made Light's eyes light up with glee. He forced the expression away, if L or Watari spotted it… well, they needed nothing to up their suspicion of him.

He suppressed the laugh that tried to rise from his throat.

Ryuk giggled behind him. "Lucky it's a book, right Light? If it'd been a scroll like in the old days ya'd never be able to get away with this, wouldya?"

Light scribbled down another name, grinning. If anyone had looked, they would have seen his eyes glow red.