Burn

by xLion'sRoarx

When BB, a dangerous criminal, escapes from jail and sets his eyes on Light, the entire investigation is thrown into chaos. The Kira case flies off the metaphorical tracks, and as Light's world comes apart at the seams, his own emotions bar him at every turn, turning calculations into reckless actions and throwing into danger everything that he has fought to protect. LxLight

14. Path of Stars

I am painfully excited about this chapter. Seriously, I hope you love it as much as I do. Be warned, there's a short lime in this one. It's nothing serious, but I still wanted to warn in advance. And as always, thanks if you left a review on the last chapter :)

Chapter 14: Path of Stars

When L awoke the next morning, he knew immediately that something was wrong. Of course, he had no proof that anything was different, but there was a certain feeling in the air, a certain tang he could taste with every breath he took—and it was repulsive. The first thing L noticed was the fact that yet again, he'd ended up sleeping. He suspected that had something to do with the alcohol, but it was still disconcerting to know just how tired he'd been lately. The second thing that was brought to L's attention was the utter lack of noise. When he awoke, slowly pushing himself up against the headboard, the world felt as if it had gone still around him. He couldn't even hear the blood rushing in his ears. The air was stagnant, a strange heat settled thickly on the detective's flesh—and the world felt entirely out of focus, as if he'd just taken off a pair of too-strong glasses.

Matt was on his feet. He was standing next to L's side of the bed, reaching out, clasping both hands to his shoulders. He was shaking him, a concerned look on his face, and L was sure that his lips were moving, that he was trying to say something, but he could hear nothing but the dull hum that was slowly beginning to build in his ears. It wasn't the rush of blood, no—it was something else entirely, something that L could almost relate to radio static. That noise just kept building, and building…growing louder and louder with every passing moment until it reached its apex, screeching endlessly. Matt was saying something again, but his voice sounded as it was rising up through endless fathoms of water. It was distorted, difficult to decipher.

L dimly saw Matt raising a hand, and a moment later he lost track of the appendage as it swung downwards sharply. A dull pain started up in L's cheek. Matt…had hit him? L shook his head, dispelling the stinging sensation. But the third ranked successor, seemingly unwilling to let L rest, swung his hand down a second time and struck him harshly once more. And then, in a single moment, everything was thrown into startling clarity. The hum in his ears faded. Matt's voice returned to its normal sound. The stifling heat lifted.

"L!" Matt was screaming, shaking him harshly. "L, come on! Snap out of it!" The teen raised his hand to strike the detective once more, but in a single heartbeat L's hand shot up, fingers curling around his successor's wrist.

"Matt, what's wrong?" L demanded harshly, chasing the last hints of fog from his mind. "Why did you strike me?"

"It's Light!" Matt gasped. L realized with a start that the successor's goggles were hanging around his neck, and his eyes were wild with fear. His hair was sticking up in odd places, and his clothing appeared disheveled. Even more shocking, his Gameboy had been thrown haphazardly to the floor. An unlit cigarette rested a few feet away, clearly abandoned in haste. "I can't wake him up!"

The words took a moment to register in L's brain. But when they did, he shot up in bed immediately, whirling around to face his lover. To his immediate relief, Light looked almost completely normal—his chest rose and fell at a fixed rate, and his expression was completely serene. But when L reached out a hand to the teen's shoulder, shaking him lightly, he didn't stir. L frowned deeply, shaking him slightly harder. When that failed to awaken him, the detective drew back his hand and delivered a slap to Light's cheek—not at full strength, of course—and received the same response. He was completely unresponsive, showing not even a sign that he could feel what was happening to him in the waking world.

"I've been trying to wake him for ten minutes," Matt explained breathlessly. "When I couldn't get a response, I started trying to get you up instead—but then you wouldn't respond!"

L ignored his successor. Instead, he straddled his lover, leaning close and pulling up one eyelid. "There is a pen light on the desk. Hand it to me immediately." Matt obeyed without a word, and the next moment L was switching the small light on and shining it directly into Light's eye. "Pupil dilation is normal," L murmured, handing the light back to Matt. Breathing appears steady, there are no signs of turmoil…"

"I'm going to call Watari," Matt announced. He was across the room and at the intercom in moments, already making the call.

L stared intensely at Light's sleeping face. What was happening in that head of his? Did this have to do with Kira? "You're going to get through this, Light…" he murmured, carding his fingers through the teen's hair. "Did you hear that? You're going to live. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The door opened suddenly, and Watari was immediately entering the room with a cart that appeared to be full of medical supplies. Despite the panic beginning to well up within him, L still managed to relay as much as he knew about Light's situation to his old mentor. Watari responded only with a nod, moving to the teen's side and beginning his general check of Light's vitals. After several minutes of moving from test to test, Matt spoke up.

"So…" he began hesitantly. "Is this…normal? Or is it, you know…"

"Kira related?" the inventor finished calmly. "There is no way of telling, I'm afraid. He doesn't appear to be in any distress, but physical tests can only tell us so much—and they can tell us nothing about his mental state. I would suggest restraining him in either case."

That…that sounded exactly like what Near had said the previous day. If you won't move him from the task force headquarters, then at least restrain him. You have no idea when Kira could take over. L shuddered at the thought, but he knew that he had to be reasonable. "Very well," he said shortly. "Matt, the chains."

The successor wordlessly retrieved several sets of handcuffs and other such chains, passing them to L. The detective immediately shackled Light to the bed by his wrists and ankles, weary of the IV protruding from the back of his hand. He wound another chain over the teen's chest, linking the two ends to the bedframe, then repeated the action with another chain over Light's thighs. Satisfied that he would be unable to move should he awaken as Kira, L sat back on his haunches and watched Watari finish the final few tests.

"Regrettably, I can see only two causes for this lack of awareness," Watari said at last. "Either this is Kira related, or…" He trailed off.

"Or it's a coma," L finished for him. The full weight of those words hit him a moment later. It…it's not impossible. He's been through so much, it's entirely plausible that his mind has just…snapped.

"There is one thing we can try," Watari murmured, eyes locked on Light's form.

"Then try it," L insisted. "No matter what it is."

The inventor riffled through his cart, then drew out a tiny, wax-sealed bottle and a syringe. "It will be dangerous, L. If this is Kira related, then we have no way of knowing what sort of chaos we could unleash. We could do irreparable damage to his mind."

L immediately thought back to what Light had told him on the roof. That for as long as he was asleep, Kira was working to consume his mind. That for as long as he was absent from the waking world, terrible things were happening to him. "You're going to shoot him full of adrenaline, correct?" he asked. "Then do it. He needs to wake up."

Matt opened his mouth to protest, but Watari beat him to it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do it now."

Watari's eyes narrowed slightly, but he complied nonetheless. Slowly, deliberately, he punctured the wax seal of the bottle and withdrew the contents into the syringe. Then he moved to Light's IV and pressed the needle into the correct place, pausing for one last glance to L before he continued. The detective gave a short nod. Frowning deeply, Watari turned his gaze back to the possibly comatose teen and compressed the plunger.

Nothing happened.

Watari announced, "His heart rate has increased. If this is going to work, it's going to work now."

There was a long, agonizing moment of silence in which the only change in Light was the rate at which his chest rose and fell. His features remained relaxed, his whole body limp. For just a heartbeat L felt that dull hum returning to his ears, drowning out the sound of Light's soft breathing. That torturous noise was slowly beginning to drown out the entirety of the outside world.

Then L heard the sound of chains being snapped taut against the metal bedframe, and a hoarse scream sliced through the air, vanquishing that dull hum.

L was back at his lover's side in a heartbeat. "Light!" he yelped, hands soothing over the teen's chest. "Light, can you hear me?"

His eyes were still squeezed shut as his entire body convulsed beneath the chains, pulling at them viciously. Wherever metal met skin, dark bruises were beginning to form, blossoming across too-pale skin. As opposed to just moments ago, the teen's entire form was completely tense, muscles pulled taut beneath his flesh. And then, with a ragged, pained gasp, his eyes shot open.

"Light!" L repeated. "Please, say something!"

For a long moment the teen remained completely silent. His chest heaved painfully as he stared up at the ceiling, and for a frightening moment L thought that maybe, just maybe, those eyes were more scarlet than amber. But the color was gone just as soon as it had entered his eyes, and L's attention was immediately drawn elsewhere as Light slowly turned his head to one side. "L…" he rasped out, a small, charming smile spreading across his face. "What's wrong?"

L leaned in without thinking, kissing his lover with fervor. A heartbeat after his lips met those of Light, he realized that it probably hadn't been a good idea—he would most likely scare the teen out of his wits. But to his surprise, instead of drawing away, Light parted his lips willingly, seemingly uncaring that Matt was staring slack-jawed, while Watari looked away with a polite cough. L would have loved to throw the two observers out of the room and take advantage of Light's sudden submission—but there were more important things at hand, so he drew back, parting himself from his lover with a soft, wet sound. "You scared me," he accused in a flat tone.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"You…you wouldn't wake up. Was it Kira?"

A strange look flickered across Light's face before he responded. "Yes…I'm terribly sorry, but I was having another nightmare. He wouldn't let me wake up."

Something seemed wrong with that statement. "You didn't appear to be in any pain…" L murmured. "Every other time you've had a nightmare, it's always been the same—you start screaming and crying, and you look as if you're in pain—and then you wake up, and I calm you down. But this time you seemed completely serene…"

Light shrugged. "I can't control what happens to me when I'm sleeping, you know. But putting all that aside, why am I chained to the bed?"

Why are you…? L frowned deeply. "You are well aware of the impending danger Kira poses, Light. We didn't know what was happening, and we feared that Kira could be about to gain control. We restrained you just in case that was indeed the case." What's going on? Why did he ask something so obvious? L wrote it off as a brief lapse of judgment due to his nightmare.

"Well," Light said, "as you can see, I'm not Kira. So release me at once."

He…he was being uncharacteristically blunt. But still, L stood back and allowed Matt to release the chains, bundling them up and shoving them into a drawer. "We were worried!" Matt exclaimed. "We thought you might have slipped into a coma!"

"I apologize," Light said politely. "I did not mean to cause such trouble for any of you."

"…Right…" L trailed off.

The teen stretched his arms above his head, sighing deeply. The next moment he was pushing himself up, announcing, "Actually, I'm feeling quite a bit better than I have been recently. L, you promised me a day with the task force, didn't you? I think I'd like to go down and work with them."

"Are you sure? You were practically just comatose, Light!" Matt broke in. "It could be dangerous! What if you relapse right there in the middle of the investigation room?"

"I will not relapse. It is over now."

It is over now…? The frown on L's face deepened. What was wrong with Light? Perhaps it's just the aftereffects of the adrenaline? "If that's what you say…"

Light looked up at L, a charming smile on his face. "Will you remove the IV? I'd like to get dressed. And I'm starving—when was the last time I had the chance to eat?"

"You've been unable to keep down any solid food for a week," L reminded him. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to—?"

"I told you, I'm feeling a lot better. Please, bring me something to eat?"

L tossed a look over his shoulder at Watari. "Bring something for Light, please. Maybe toast, or a bowl of cereal."

The inventor nodded. "I will leave the three of you alone, then."

The instant the inventor was gone, L removed the IV from Light's hand. The flesh was bruised a dark shade of purple all around the needle, and removing the thing seemed to bring Light great relief. He sighed, rubbing the back of his hand with a smile. "Thank you, Ryu—I mean, L."

A flare of suspicion shot through L's chest.

Light, no doubt seeing the suspicion, laughed. "I'm sorry, it was a slip of the tongue—I'm still a little rattled from that dream, admittedly."

"Right…" L trailed off as Light pushed himself to his feet, a flicker of discomfort on the teen's face.

He raised a hand to his head, and for a moment L thought he was combating the usual headache, until Light chuckled, "You let me drink too much, L. My head is killing me!"

"My apologies. I had no desire to monitor your intake. After all, I wanted you to be thoroughly intoxicated for our conversation."

The teen shrugged it off. "I'm sure I'll feel better once I eat; it's not that bad anyways." He made his way over to the wardrobe, picking out a shirt and changing into it, paying no mind to the fact that Matt was still in the room. He pulled on a pair of slacks and fastened his belt, stooping to slip on his dress shoes. When he stood, his eyes and skin gleamed healthily, and L was hauntingly reminded of the Light he'd known before he lost his memories. He shot a charming smile back in L's direction, saying, "Well? Shall we head down to the kitchen?"

"Watari will bring your food here," L reminded him. "We will wait."

"Aww, L, come on!" Light whined, pouting.

What is going on? The detective looked over at Matt to see if he was noticing the same irregularities as he was, but the younger male was immersed in his video game once again. He wasn't paying any attention to either of the other two men in the room.

L felt fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt, and the next moment Light was kissing him unexpectedly. For a heartbeat he stiffened under those lips. It was unlike Light to initiate such things, especially when someone else was mere feet away…though, then again, he'd just told the detective that he loved him. Perhaps those words had made him more confident. "Hey…" the teen murmured, kissing at L's neck lightly. "Relax. Everything is fine, I promise. Is it a bad thing that I'm feeling better? That I've gained some ground against Kira?"

"No…no, of course not. Forgive me, I'm just a bit paranoid, I suppose."

The corners of Light's lips quirked up in a teasing smile. "I wouldn't have you any other way, L." He turned and headed for the bathroom, no doubt planning to fix up his hair in the usual way—at the moment it was rather tangled, and L knew that there was no way he'd be appearing before the task force without making himself look every inch the perfect individual he thought he was.

L followed him into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning against it as Light immediately went for a brush, beginning to sort out his unruly locks. Just as he'd thought. "Light…" he murmured. He was unable to shove down that twinge of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The teen shot him a comforting smile, reaching for a spray bottle and lightly wetting his hair. As he ran his brush through it once again, Light assured, "I promise you, L, I'm completely fine. Like I said, I managed to beat Kira down just a bit, so I'm feeling a whole lot better." He reached for a bottle of mousse and shook it, spraying a bit of the foamy substance into one hand and beginning to apply it to his hair. Eyes never leaving the mirror, he said, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're suspicious that Kira has won!"

"Well…"

Light sighed deeply, washing his hands off and drying them before turning to face the detective, pulling him into a brief but bone-crushing hug. He kissed him lightly on the forehead, murmuring, "I swear to you, L, that I am perfectly all right." He released the detective and plucked his toothbrush from its perch, applying a bit of toothpaste and beginning to brush his teeth with vigor.

L watched him closely. He appeared completely fine save for the small lapses in behavior, and his eyes were the brightest he'd seen them in a week. Perhaps he was being a bit too judgmental—if Light had indeed made some progress against Kira, then it made sense that he'd be feeling better. I'm being paranoid, L told himself firmly. There is nothing wrong. If there was, I would know, or he would tell me.

"Are you still worried?" Light asked, having spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth out. He set his toothbrush back in place and reached for a washcloth, wetting it and swiftly cleaning his face, which still shone with sweat from the force of his dream. He looked up at L with pleading eyes, eyes so innocent and kind that they couldn't possibly contain anything other than the boy L had fallen in love with. Light reached out, gently placing a hand on the detective's shoulder. "I love you, L. I would never let Kira win. You're not going to have to kill me."

There was a vague feeling of distrust stirring within L's chest, but he forced it back down. Just less than seven hours ago he was telling me that I would have to kill him soon…but now he's promising that I'll never be forced to do such a thing? I'm probably overthinking this, it's probably nothing more than a sudden burst of confidence brought on by a small victory over Kira—so I should have no problem just casting it aside…right?

"L…" Light purred, no doubt seeing the detective's failure to erase his doubts. He yanked him closer with one hand, his fingers curling tightly in L's collar. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his neck, lapping at the skin in a manner L hadn't felt for many weeks, not since…since Beyond. "If you're so doubtful, then let me prove it to you. Let me prove to you just how much I love you…"

"No…" L murmured in response, though it took every scrap of effort for him to refuse. "You are not yet ready for such a thing…you aren't ready to forget about Beyo—"

Light cut him off with a harsh kiss, muffling the detective's protests. "Don't speak that monster's name," he ordered in a low growl. "Don't remind me of the things he did."

"Light," L insisted, pushing him away, sealing his palm to the teen's chest. "In case you haven't forgotten, Matt is on the other side of this door. And in any case, I have no desire to sleep with you on the floor of the bathroom!"

Light chuckled darkly, lips leaving L's throat just long enough to mutter, "There wouldn't be much sleeping involved."

"Light. No." What's going on? Just last night he was still unwilling to kiss me properly…

He drew back, lips pursed in a pout. "You're refusing me? You want me, don't you, L? You've been holding yourself back all these days, just because you don't want to hurt me. And now, here I am, offering myself up on a silver platter, and you're saying no?"

Well, when he put it like that… no, stop that! Don't even start having those thoughts! "I'm saying not right now," L corrected. His eyes flitted to the door, and he whispered, "Who knows how much Matt could hear? He could be listening in on us right now!"

Light reached past L and flicked on the bathroom fan. It filled the room with a roar that was almost painful, and would no doubt stifle any noise coming from within. "Problem solved." His hands went to L's shirt, and he pulled it up past the detective's chest before he could manage to object.

L immediately clasped his fingers around Light's wrist, pulling him away so that his shirt fell back down over his torso. "What's gotten into you?" he hissed, struggling to ignore the heat pooling in the pit of his stomach. "Is this because of what I said last night?"

The teen paused. Then he let out a deep sigh, leaning away. "I'm sorry," he said at last. "It isn't because of what you said, although it did make me think quite a bit." He reached out a hand, sliding two fingers down the side of L's face. "I want to put everything behind me, L. I want to get past all of those things that have made me distant."

"Then we can do that later, when we're not in a bathroom, and when Matt isn't on the other side of the door."

There was a fire in Light's eyes, a fire that was almost terrifying. L knew immediately that despite his soft words, he was burning for more contact, for the touch he'd been so resistant to just the night before. "If you aren't willing to go all the way, then at least let me do this…" he trailed off, his hand running sensually down L's clothed front. He scraped his nails lightly at the covered skin of his chest, trailing down until he reached the detective's belt. He leaned in, and in one, powerful motion, slammed his lips against his lover's. L let out a surprised whine, stumbling back in what was most likely an attempt to pull away—but Light was having none of that, and all it took was a short couple of steps for L to be pinned firmly against the wall, helpless to escape even if he wanted to. Which, L reflected, he wasn't sure that he did. With ever passing moment his jeans were becoming tighter and tighter, and he longed for his lover to relieve the pressure.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that bulge in your jeans, L," Light purred, his voice uncharacteristically low. "You've been turning me away all this time, but I know you want this. And even if you won't give me what I want, I'll at least show you what you're missing." His fingers traveled lower, cupping the detective's arousal through the rough denim. L felt himself twitch at the contact, hardening even further. Damn…how was it that Light managed to look so appealing? He'd barely touched him, and yet here he was, responding like a pubescent boy in a heat. Light's wicked fingers broke contact, and the next moment he was undoing L's belt, yanking it none too gently from his form and throwing it to the ground, where it clattered noisily. A heartbeat later L felt Light plucking teasingly at the waistband of his jeans, tugging the button open and pulling the zipper down click by click.

"Light…" L gasped, his whole body tensing as the teen's fingers curled around his belt loops, tugging his jeans down at an agonizingly slow pace, revealing him inch by inch. "Please…if you continue, then Matt will—"

Light ignored him. Instead, he shook his head teasingly, throwing a glance downwards. "You're wearing boxers today, I see. I admit, I'm a bit disappointed." He pushed L's jeans the rest of the way off, and the detective stepped out of them without thinking, barely comprehending what was happening. This alluring, lustful creature…where had he come from? Light seemed to be taking his time, his fingers slipping beneath L's shirt to palm at his chest. His fingers brushed lightly over the detective's peaked nipples, and he could barely contain a loud gasp as Light's fingers closed over them, pinching harshly. L's eyes slipped closed against his will, and he felt blood rushing in his ears. His face felt warm, and he was sure that the rest of him was only getting warmer. Light's flesh felt wonderfully cool against his own, both quelling and fueling the flames that ran beneath his skin. The teen pressed his whole body against L's as he leaned in for a kiss, taking the initiative as his tongue slipped into the other's mouth. That wicked tongue drew against the detective's in long, slow laps, and it did nothing to help the bulge that jutted against Light's lower stomach painfully. The instant he broke contact, Light's lips found the juncture between neck and shoulder, and he was immediately biting teasingly, running his tongue over reddened skin. It was quite reminiscent of what L had done to Light not too long ago, L found himself thinking. But that thought was chased from his mind as Light's mouth was suddenly back on his, dominating him with a fervor L had sampled only once before. And then, in a motion that left L gasping for breath, Light's hand dipped beneath the hem of his boxers, cool fingers gripping him firmly. Immediately, before he could do a thing to stop it, L released a soft moan.

Light's eyes, dark and hooded, locked onto his with amusement as he murmured, "What was that about Matt hearing us?"

L clamped his teeth together immediately, biting his tongue as Light's fingers traced up and down his shaft teasingly. That bastard…he was trying to make L moan! He couldn't care less how much noise he made! "Tease…" he accused breathlessly, and a heartbeat later a satisfied smirk was making its way across Light's features. The teen leaned in and kissed him wordlessly, and the only sounds between the two of them for a long moment were the wet, vulgar sounds of their mouths colliding.

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Hey, guys?" a familiar voice called. "Are you okay? I heard some weird noises, and—"

L immediately lurched away from Light, pressing himself further against the wall as he fought to get his breathing under control. Light, on the other hand, shot a furious glance at the door, his eyes narrowing to sepia slits. He pushed L behind the door as he yanked it open, smiling with false charm at Matt. "Sorry," he apologized, all hints of that terrible anger pushed behind a cheerful gaze. "I was just going to take a quick shower, that's all. Feel free to go down and wait in the kitchen, it'll be a while."

Matt shook his head, clearly unsuspecting. "No, I can't leave this room per L's orders, so I'll have to stay here. But take all the time you need." He held up his Gameboy and pointed to the computer chair on the other side of the room. "I have this to entertain me."

L watched Light's features twist into an expression of casual interest, though below the surface he was obviously dying to have his hands all over the disheveled detective leaning on the wall behind the door. "I'm glad. It should be just a little while." Without waiting for Matt's response, he closed the door and clicked the lock into place. For a long moment he stayed that way, eyes locked on the door as he no doubt waited for Matt to retreat. Then he turned his eyes on L, and the detective was almost frightened by the look swirling within them. It didn't take long for his lips to descend upon the detective's neck vigorously, and he purred out, "Well, L? Shall we take a shower together?"

L immediately shook his head. "No, I told you…" he broke off with a gasp as Light returned his hand to the hem of his boxers, this time shoving the garment down to just below the knees without bothering to remove it entirely. "I'm not going to have sex with you in the bathroom!"

Light shrugged. "Shame." His gaze flickered to L's arousal, which pressed into his stomach with every breath. "It seems like you'd enjoy it." His hand closed around L, and a moment later he was pumping him at a slow, steady pace, with no sign of speeding up. L's lips instantly parted in a breathy moan, but before he'd made more than a moment's worth of noise, Light's free hand closed over his mouth. "Shh…" he hushed. "You don't want Matt to hear, remember?" He removed his hand just long enough to yank the white cotton shirt over L's head, returning the appendage to use as a gag just a moment later. L's face tilted skywards as Light kept up his agonizing pace, teasing him relentlessly with every stroke of his hand. And then there was a warm, wet sensation at his chest, and the detective realized with a loud moan that the teen had latched his mouth over pebbled skin, sucking violently on a nipple, digging his teeth in around the bud. A choked noise escaped his throat, and a moment later Light was chuckling, "You'll have to control yourself, or I'll find a more effective way to gag you."

L turned his head to one side, then the other, desperately trying to hold back the gasping noises that pushed at the backs of his teeth. His whole body was covered in a sheen of sweat, and he thought dimly that if Light didn't increase the speed of those horribly arousing caresses, he would pass out then and there. "Light…" he moaned, his voice barely decipherable due to the iron grip the teen had over his lips.

Light pulled away from L's chest, gazing up at him intensely. "Yes, L? Something you want?"

"S-speed up…"

Light's hand stilled entirely, and L let out a pained whimper. It was incredible just how swiftly the teen had been able to reduce him to this moaning, sweaty mess. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Speed up!" L gasped out. "Please, Light, don't stop!"

The teen's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "I don't know, L, you were awfully against this from the beginning…perhaps you were right, and I should stop now."

L raised one of his hands, both of which had been previously braced against the wall, and reached out, yanking Light towards him. The teen dropped his hand from L's mouth, and the next moment the two were engaged in another sloppy kiss, L barely able to think through the heat of Light's mouth on his. "Please…" he repeated breathily. "Please, keep going…"

Light's smirk was nothing short of malicious. "Well, if you're sure…" He returned his hand to L's arousal, resuming his agonizingly slow pace. The other hand, rather than returning to L's mouth, curled around the detective's lower back and drew him closer, pulling him just slightly away from the wall. His head snapped forward, and his teeth sank deeply into L's shoulder until he felt blood dripping down his flesh. He's never bitten me before… The thought was chased from his mind as Light's hand gripped harder, stroked faster, tugging him closer and closer to completion.

"Ahh…" L whimpered, unable to hold back the noise. "Light!"

The teen smirked against his flesh and continued with that violent pace, each stroke growing swifter and swifter, his hand gripping him tighter and tighter until the friction became nearly unbearable. "Come for me…" he whispered, tongue darting out to lap at the bite on L's shoulder. "Go on, L…"

The detective whimpered, arms darting up to wrap around Light as if he were a lifeline in the middle of the ocean. That coil of heat was growing stronger and stronger, building to almost painful levels—and then Light twisted his wrist in just the right way, and L came with a barely concealed screech. That coil of heat melted out of him, and he felt his body sag against his lover's even as that hand continued until every last drop of release had been coaxed out of him.

"L…" Light purred, bringing his dirtied hand up and caressing the detective's jaw. L felt his own release streak along his flesh wherever the teen touched, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. The teen kissed him again, this time restraining himself to just a gentle press of lips.

L steadied himself against the wall. "Light," he rasped out breathlessly. "That was…"

The teen silenced him with another press of lips. "Be silent," he purred in a low tone.

L's eyes flitted down his lover's form, and it didn't take him long to realize that Light was in a much worse condition than he was. "You're hard," he murmured against those swollen lips. "Do you want me to…?"

L felt Light smile against him, felt the small shake of his head. "This was about you, L."

Something about the way he said that made all of the detective's doubts come rushing back. But he choked them back down, as he had before, telling himself that he was insane—if Light were really Kira at this very moment, there was no way that he would have been able to bring himself to touch L in such an intimate way. L insisted, "I should really—"

"No." Light pulled away slowly, sitting L down on the toilet seat as he reached for the shower and turned it on with a click. "All I need is a bit of cold water. I'll be fine. All you'll have to do is make it up to me later." He offered the detective a gentle smile, barely concealing the fading hints of sepia fire. A moment later he was stripping and getting into the shower, calling back to L, "You should wash up too."

Slowly, the detective pushed himself to his feet and stepped into the shower after his lover, feeling a dull flicker of amusement that for all his protesting, he'd ended up showering with Light just the same—though not quite in the way the teen must have been hoping. The detective shot Light a backwards glance, carefully examining the expression on his face. He knew that he had to be wrong, that there wasn't anything wrong with his lover—but he couldn't stop the sickening doubt that just seemed to grow stronger with every passing moment. There's no way… L thought, disturbed. I must be wrong.

And yet something in L's gut told him that there was something terribly, irrefutably wrong about today.

†††

L tapped his fingers against his desk rhythmically, entirely lost in thought. He kept playing over the events of that morning, going back over them time and time again in an attempt to rationalize what had happened. But no matter how many times he puzzled over the events, no matter how many times he examined them from every which angle, he couldn't bring himself to draw a conclusion. Perhaps he's just getting better, as he stated, L thought, shooting a sideways glance at his was sitting in the chair beside him, eagerly typing away at whatever document he was working on currently. When he'd entered the investigation room, he'd been greeted by the eager members of the task force, each one welcoming him back with vigor. After not having seen the teen in so long, they seemed eager to speak to him once more, to wish him well and carefully skirt around the topic on everyone's mind—Beyond Birthday. Matsuda in particular seemed pleased to have the youngest member of the task force back on hand—he'd always been a sentimental idiot, and this was just another opportunity for him to get overly excited about something. After pleasantries had been exchanged, Light had happily settled down into his usual seat, not bothering to ask L any questions about the case before getting started. There was a certain gleam in his eye today, one that spoke of a definite goal he wanted to accomplish. He threw himself into his work with intense focus, not looking up for even a minute as he scrolled through file after file, compiled pages upon pages of information.

The whole time, Mello, Matt, and Near were huddled off to one side, whispers flying back and forth. No doubt Matt was recounting the events of that morning. L half expected Mello to confront him then and there about L's decision to let Light return to the task force for even a day. Or if not him, then Near, or even Matt. But none of the successors came near Light, instead choosing to stand back. They watched the teen unnervingly, and their stares were even beginning to affect even L, who was not, in fact, the object of their scrutiny.

Finally, a few hours after L sat down to work, Mello called him over to him with a few snapped words. "L! Get your ass over here!"

The rest of the task force looked over with irritated glances, no doubt silently rebuking the use of vulgar language in the investigation room. L's attention was drawn to Light in particular, who shot a calculating look in the successors' direction. Frowning, the detective pushed himself to his feet, throwing another glance at Light, whose eyes had snapped back to his monitor. He showed no sign of looking away again. Satisfied that the teen wouldn't be going anywhere, L slowly made his way over to the three younger males huddled in the corner.

"What?" L murmured once he'd reached his successors. "What is it?"

"What's this we hear about Light's little lapse this morning?" Mello demanded harshly.

L had been expecting this. But quite honestly, he'd been expecting it sooner. "He wouldn't wake up. Watari managed to bring him back to awareness. That is all that happened."

"Do you really believe that?" Mello demanded. "That he just woke up all of the sudden and felt completely better?"

"Well…he mentioned gaining some ground in his fight against Kira, so…"

"L, come on!" Mello went on. "The kid was barely breathing yesterday! And then he's suddenly eating and drinking normally, and he's regained all his energy? You don't find that the least bit suspicious?"

"Not particularly, no."

There was the sound of a chair turning, and Light suddenly called out, "Ryuzaki, are you okay? Is everything well over there?"

For just a heartbeat L was stricken with the realization that once again, Light had forgotten to call him L—but then he mentally kicked himself. Of course he's calling me Ryuzaki, we're in the investigation room! I specifically told him to call me by my pseudonym when the others were around! He responded belatedly, calling back, "Yes, Light. Nothing is wrong, I assure you."

Mello snorted, muttering, "Like hell nothing's wrong."

L turned on him furiously, eyes blazing. "There is nothing wrong! I have judged him as physically and mentally functional, and my judgments are never wrong! I have deemed him capable of working alongside us for today, and so here he will stay! Is that understood?"

Near shook his head, twirling a lock of white hair between his fingers. "You are behaving foolishly. After such a lapse as the one he had this morning, it was indescribably asinine to allow him to appear before the task force. If Kira overwhelms him, then he could bring harm to us all. Or, if Light remains Light, he could just as easily tell the task force that he is Kira—or at the very least, is possessed by him—and that's all it would take for them to call for his death. Quite honestly I'm stunned that you even considered the idea of bringing him here. It's very unlike you."

"Yeah," Mello broke in. "Seriously, L, you're acting like a moron. The best thing to do now would be to take him back to your room before anything happens."

"No, I can't do that…he's fine…" L insisted. "There's nothing wrong with him. He's not going to tell them anything, and even if he does, we'll just have to talk our way out of it. I'm sure that with the right words the task force could be persuaded, if it was to come to that." As he spoke he looked back at Light. The teen was still working away quietly, mimicking the behavior of the rest of the task force. He…he is okay… L thought doubtfully. He's not any closer to succumbing to Kira…right? Even as he puzzled over it, L's mind clouded with suspicion. The way he'd acted this morning…it hadn't been normal.

Mello seemed to pick up on the doubt in L's heart. "Listen to me, L. If you have even the smallest suspicion that that boy over there isn't Light, then you'll take him back to your room and restrain him."

Near broke in, adding, "Not just that, you'll take him far, far away from this place. You'll make sure he's somewhere he can never escape, and you'll keep him there until you find a way to cure him."

"You mean kill him," L snarled. "You said the same thing a few nights ago; don't think I didn't see right through it! You're planning to make me take him somewhere remote, then wait things out until I realize I can't possibly keep him alive! After that, you'll kill him, won't you? Isn't that what you're planning?"

"You're delusional!" Near hissed.

"I am correct!" L spat.

Near rolled his eyes, ready to snap back a retort, but Mello beat him to it. "You at least brought the gun, right? You at least brought some protection against the possible homicidal maniac sitting over there?"

L hissed, "Of course I did! I'm not an idiot!" His hand shot to his belt, where he'd holstered his gun before leaving the bedroom. He'd made it a habit of keeping it on him whenever he left his room, and today was no exception. But to his surprise, his fingers met nothing but the cool leather of his belt. He frowned, checking again, but was met with the same result. His gun…it wasn't there.

"What? What is it?" Mello demanded.

"I…I don't have my gun."

"What?" Mello spat. "What do you mean you don't have it? Today is the one day that you have to have the damn thing on you, and you're telling me you left it in the bedroom?"

"No, no! I know that I took if from the desk and tucked it in my belt, just as I always do. But it's not here now!"

Light's voice sounded again, breaking into the conversation from across the room. "Matt, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you think you can come over here for a moment?"

The third ranked successor, who had been following the conversation between L and his two friends with a stunned expression, snapped his head up at the sound of Light's voice. An easy smile spread across his face, and he nodded. "Of course, Light!" L noted vaguely that Matt had become quite close to Light over the past couple of days, despite the age difference and the fact that they had virtually nothing in common. It's nice that he has someone else to talk to, L thought. Other than me, I mean. Matt headed off in Light's direction, neither Mello nor Near noticing his departure.

"L, seriously," Near chastised. "You can't make mistakes like this! Where could you have put it down?"

"That's the thing…" L murmured. "…I didn't."

Mello rolled his eyes. "Well, you must have, you dolt! Guns don't just disappear into thin air! Seriously, you're so blinded by your love for Light that you haven't been taking the necessary precautions! As much as you don't want to believe it, he's not getting any better, no matter what he may say or how he may act. With every passing day he's becoming more and more of a danger to everyone around him, and yet you do nothing but sit there and mope! You've got to come to your senses, L, no matter how much you want to curl up and forget about the fact that the guy you love is Kira!"

Near nodded his agreement, adding, "I've told you, L, the safest thing to do would be to move him to a deserted place, but you insist upon refusing me. Why do you do such a thing if you know you are only putting everyone in more danger by allowing Light to stay here? You've been letting your emotions get in the way of work, and quite frankly I'm not sure you're still capable of functioning as L."

L recoiled as the harsh words met his ears, unable to fabricate a response.

Near went on. "As is such, I'm not entirely sure you were at your top capacity when you judged Light as himself this morning. Think about it logically—he's been deteriorating for days, and then he suddenly wakes up good as new after slipping into what very well could have been the beginnings of some sort of coma? Think carefully, L, and tell me—did he do or say anything uncharacteristic?"

L didn't have to think hard. Light had done several uncharacteristic things, namely everything that had gone on in the bathroom, but he'd written them off as insignificant. "Actually, there were several things. He…he called me Ryuzaki. He only does that when we're in the presence of the task force, and sometimes not even then. He ordered me around as well, and said several things that were quite uncharacteristic." What makes things stranger is that he's been quite resistant to touch as of late, and then he goes off and pulls something like that…maybe something is going on…

"So in other words, not only did he awaken with mysterious energy, but he acted completely unlike himself, and you still let him come here and work? Are you completely insane?" Mello hissed under his breath, shooting a nervous glance in Light's direction.

When Mello put it that way, it did sound insane. "I thought—I just thought that—!"

Mello shook his head angrily. "That's it, L. We're taking authority on this. We're going to restrain him and take him back to your room, by force if we have to. And first thing after that we're going to order Watari to find us a private island and purchase it. We'll take Light out there and wait this whole thing out, whether it ends in his death or not." The blonde successor looked to Near for his approval.

"Yes," Near murmured. "I believe that would be the best course of action. You are being irresponsible, L. You are no longer equipped to decide what will happen to Light. If you can't hold on to your gun, then you don't deserve to hold on to the Kira suspect."

L opened his mouth to protest, but Near cut him off. "L, please. You know that we are right. I promise you that Light will not be harmed until we are certain there is no other alternative. And if it comes to that, we will at least inform you that we are about to kill him."

The detective hesitated. They were right…he knew that they were. Light was unstable, and he'd been a fool to let him come to the investigation room. "…Yes," he whispered at last. "You are right, of course. We will move him back to my room and restrain him now. It is entirely possible that he is close to succumbing to Kira." L turned back to Light, who was speaking to Matt with a charming smile on his face. L trailed behind Near and Mello as they approached the teen.

"Light," Near said upon reaching him. "I apologize for this, but we will have to remove you from the investigation room at once. We believe that you are unstable."

The teen's eyes widened, displaying a genuine look of surprise. "What? You think I'm unstable?"

The first ranked successor nodded gravely. "L reported unusual behavior, and after your little episode this morning we believe it would be best to restrain and relocate you."

Light's brow furrowed. "What are you suggesting, Near? That I'm in danger of becoming Kira?"

"No. To be honest, I'm suggesting that you already are Kira." The successor leaned down suddenly, clasping a hand to the armrest of Light's chair and leaning in so that Light was forced to press himself back to avoid smashing his forehead into Near's. "What do you have to say to that, Light?"

The teen's mouth opened and closed a few times in mute surprise. Then he spluttered out, "That's completely ridiculous! I'm not Kira, I swear!"

The noise was beginning to attract the attention of the task force, though they couldn't quite hear the words the geniuses were speaking.

"Then explain what happened this morning."

"I told you, I was fighting Kira, and he wouldn't let me wake up! I lost a lot of ground, and I was in a lot of pain—"

"No," L said suddenly. "No, that's wrong."

Light stared up at the detective, and if L hadn't known better, he would have said that those irises were scarlet. "Just what do you mean by that, Ryuzaki? I told you this morning—"

"You told me this morning that you gained ground," L said softly. "You said that you were doing better against Kira. Light…what is the truth? Why did you lie?"

The teen stared uneasily at his shoes. "Okay…I admit, I lied. But it was only because I didn't want to make you think that I was doing worse!"

L shook his head. Something was wrong here. Something was…off. "But if you lost so much ground, why did you wake up rejuvenated? You were…you were a completely different person…"

Light stared up at him with wide eyes, his expression one of practiced innocence. "Well, that's because…" he trailed off, streaks of pain swimming through his irises. "L, please, let this go! I love you, why are you doing this?"

It wasn't true. Those words were false, L could feel it. His lover's voice was carefully controlled, with just the right amount of desperation, just the right amount of love. His tone…it was calculated, as if he'd composed it just to get into L's head. "Light…" he whispered. "Please, answer the question."

"I…" Light trailed off, fighting for words. "L, I swear…" Once again he trailed off. His eyes flitted from L to the successors, his expression pleading. But neither parties faltered in their interrogation, staring him down with calculating eyes. Light seemed to be grasping at strings, struggling to explain himself. He slowly appeared to realize, his gaze still flickering between his observers, that he wouldn't be getting away without an explanation. And with that realization, his entire demeanor seemed to completely change. First, his expression went completely lax, all hints of desperation melting off him like wax from a candle. Next, his eyes narrowed. And then, slowly, like a monster shedding a human disguise, a nasty leer spread across the teen's face. His eyes glimmered, and this time L was sure that they were a deep, muddy scarlet. His entire face was shrouded in a dark shadow that seemed to come from nowhere; his hands clawed into the armrests of his chair. He glared up at L with a vengeance, and the pure hatred behind that stare was enough to make not only L, but Near back away in horror. "What a nuisance," he growled dangerously. "It looks like I've been found out…isn't that right, L?"

In a single moment, many things happened.

Mello was holding a gun in his hand in an instant, screaming, "Freeze, monster!"

Matt was staring, frozen, at the scarlet-eyed teen.

Near was recoiling, retreating behind Mello.

L was staring slack-jawed at the being who was supposed to be his lover.

Light—no, Kira, was shooting to his feet despite Mello's orders, locking an arm around Matt's throat and drawing him close, using him as a human shield. That alone could have been dealt with, but what happened next changed everything. "Oh, L…" Kira purred. "Didn't you wonder where your gun went?"

L's blood ran cold.

"That's right! You were so focused on our little escapade this morning that you didn't even notice me steal it from you." There was a slight flurry of movement, and the next moment the barrel of a gun was pressed to Matt's temple, the safety released.

"Matt!" Mello cried out. "Kira, you bastard, let him go!"

The third ranked successor swallowed hard, visibly trembling. "I-it's okay, Mells…" he forced out, smiling falsely. "Everything's going to be o-okay…"

"Light!" Soichiro snapped from across the room. L's attention was drawn to the task force, and he saw that all four members had risen to their feet, and were staring at Kira with matching expressions of horror. "Light, just what do you think you're doing? Drop that gun immediately!"

Kira looked over at the man, a lazy smile on his face. "Sorry, dearest father, but I'm not your son."

Soichiro's eyes widened impossibly, and he sputtered, "What do you mean? You are Light Yagami, and you are my son! Now obey me and put down that gun at once!"

Kira clicked his tongue in a painfully chastising manner. "Now, now, let's not be hasty here. As you can see, I hold all the cards."

"You hold nothing!" Mello snarled. "If you don't release Matt at once, I'll shoot you!"

"No you won't. If you shoot me, then you might hit Matt—and if you don't hit Matt, and hit me instead, then I assure you that I'll have pulled the trigger long before he can get away from me. He'll die, Mello. Are you prepared to see that? Are you prepared to see his pretty little eyes slip closed, his brains splattered across the floor?"

"Monster!" Mello screeched, finger tensing on the trigger slightly. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Light…" Soichiro tried again. "What is the meaning of this?"

Kira ignored him. "I have a little request, L."

The detective barely heard the words. He was too busy staring up at Kira, staring up at the monster that had replaced the man he loved. There was no way…no way that Kira had just taken over. No way that Light was gone forever.

"What is it?" Kira purred in a dark, sultry tone. "Can't believe that I've won?" He bared his teeth in something akin to a smile, snarling out, "Do you want to know what's worse? It happened before I woke up this morning. And you know what that means, don't you?"

L knew exactly what that meant. The way the teen had been behaving…his harsh orders, his chastising words…the incident in the bathroom…it had all been Kira. But why? Why would he do such a thing? If there was one thing L knew, it was that Kira was not attracted to him. He loathed him, wanted to kill him. So why had he done such a thing?

Kira smirked, seeming to read the thoughts behind L's obsidian orbs. "I told you, L…I told you, this is all about you. And I wasn't lying—it was all about you—all about dominating you, all about seeing you writhe beneath me…I derived no pleasure from the situation save for what I felt knowing that I had reduced you to a weak, shivering, mess. And you…you thought I wanted your filthy fingers on me. The very thought is repulsive."

L's stomach twisted painfully.

"I'll be honest with you," Kira continued. "When I accidentally called you Ryuzaki, I thought it was over. But you were just stupid enough to let it go…and then all I had to do was perform my little dance, do a little seducing, and you were mine." He broke off, barking out a dark laugh. "Now…" he went on. "I know you keep a few sets of handcuffs in that little drawer of yours. You're going to cuff each member of the task force to their desks, far enough apart so they can't reach each other, and you're going to do it well. Because if you don't…" Kira pressed the barrel of the gun harder against Matt's temple, making the successor wince. "Well, I'm sure it goes without saying that you'll be cleaning splatters of your precious successor off the walls for weeks."

L felt his body move against his will. Without thinking, he was stepping over to his desk, retrieving the chains he kept there, moving to the members of the task force and cuffing them in place one by one. They didn't resist, thankfully—although they didn't know what was really happening, they at least had the common sense to realize that Kira was being serious. He had every intention of killing Matt. The only one who resisted even a bit was Soichiro—he tried to move towards his son, a painfully confused look in his eye.

"Son!" he called out, gaze never leaving the teen. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Kira looked over at Soichiro, his eyes gleaming crimson. "Because I am Kira."

"What?" Soichiro gasped, expression comically surprised. "You…you can't be! Son, what are you saying?"

"Be silent, you old fool!" Kira spat. "I have no desire to listen to your exclamations of disbelief! There are things that must be done!"

L finished cuffing Matsuda to his desk and moved away from him slowly, facing Kira with blank eyes and an even blanker heart. He felt nothing. He could feel nothing.

"Excellent. Now, L, you're going to do the same to Near."

L obeyed without a word, and Near did little to resist. Their hands were tied—Kira would without a doubt murder his captive at the drop of a hat.

"Good, good… now, Mello, you're going to drop your gun."

"No!" the successor snarled. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm doing that! The instant I do, you can just shoot Matt! You'll have no reason to spare him!"

"You'll do it anyways. Because if you don't, then I'll kill him."

"If you kill him, you'll have no captive!"

Kira shook his head mockingly. "But Matt will be dead. You can kill me in return, of course, but I doubt that's what you will choose to do. It's better to drop your weapon now and gamble on the off chance that when this is over, I won't murder him."

Mello's grip tightened on the gun, and it was clear that he had no intention of releasing it.

Matt, who had kept surprisingly silent throughout the whole ordeal, spoke up. "Mells…do as he says."

Mello's eyes snapped to his lover. "Matt, no!"

"Please…please, Mello…you're not going to accomplish anything. Drop your gun."

Mello stared for a moment longer. A terrible conflict brewed just below the surface of that cream-colored skin as he stared at the younger male held captive, his fingers tightening further on the handle of his weapon. He swallowed hard, the sound louder than it should have been. Then, slowly, he clicked the safety back on and let the gun drop to the ground, the weapon striking the tiled floor with a note of finality. He raised his hands reluctantly, eyes never leaving his lover as he stepped away from the gun.

Kira cackled. "Chain him, L."

The detective obeyed blindly.

A nasty grin spread across Kira's face. He looked up to one of the many security cameras, calling out, "Watari, I know you're watching this. And I want you to know that if you try anything, I won't just kill Matt—I'll shoot the entire task force where they stand—and that includes L. Understand?"

There was no response, but L knew that Watari had gotten the message. He wouldn't try anything, not with one of his orphans' lives on the line.

Kira turned his attention back on L. "Now…" he purred. "Where were we?"

"You…" L broke off, his voice cracking embarrassingly. "You were going to kill me, weren't you?"

Kira looked genuinely surprised at that. "Kill you? Why yes, I believe that's what I wanted to do. But…not like this. You see, L, what exists between the two of us…it's a game. What I did to you this morning—what you let me do to you—was just another part of that wicked game. And as fun as it would be to raise this gun to your pretty little head and pull the trigger, I don't want to win the game until I've beaten you into the ground. Right now, you still have a fighting spirit, even if it's stricken down a bit at the moment. Once I crush that spirit, once I dominate you entirely…then it will be over. Then is when I will have won, and then is when I will kill you, be it with the Death Note or with my bare hands, or even with a gun like this one."

"What do you want?" L kept his voice flat. It wasn't difficult—the reality of the situation had yet to sink in; he was still deceptively numb.

"I want my Death Note. You know where it is and how to get to it. So here's what's going to happen—we're going to head on down to the vault, and you're going to give it to me. And then you're going to let me walk out of here, because if you don't…well, you know what happens."

L rasped, "You would kill an innocent person, Kira?" Of course he would. L knew this with startling certainty. "You would lower yourself to the title of common murderer?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kira whispered. "I am a god, a deliverer of justice…I do not kill innocents. But those who get in my way, those who would oppose me…they are not innocent. They are vermin, and they deserve to die."

L dimly heard Mello let out a vicious snarl.

Kira's expression melted into one of mocking pity. "Poor, poor L…I know how much this must be hurting you. You loved your little toy so much, and to have him yanked away so suddenly…and right after he told you that he loved you, too! I can't imagine the anguish you must feel."

L's stomach clenched, and for a moment he thought he would throw up.

"Now…" Kira purred. "Let's go get my Death Note, shall we?" He moved forward, keeping Matt close, the barrel of the gun never leaving the successor's temple. Matt was obviously terrified—his skin was a sickly white, a thin sheen of sweat gleaming off what was visible of his skin. His eyes flitted desperately to Mello as Kira forced him past, but he said nothing. The next moment Kira was motioning for L to go ahead of him, to lead the way to the weaponry and corresponding vault.

L wasn't well enough to retain awareness for the journey. His mind had seemingly checked out, and it wasn't until they were standing in the weaponry that he realized Kira was speaking to him.

He nudged L towards the vault standing in the back of the room, snarling, "Go on. Open it."

L didn't resist. He felt shell-shocked, as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him, but continuously. He moved as if in a dream, reaching for the keypad and entering in the code. The door clicked open.

"Now retrieve the notebook and give it to me."

L plucked the Death Note from its place inside the vault and turned away, not bothering to close the door as he handed it to the man who was supposed to be his lover. Kira immediately tucked it under his shirt, the gun never dipping lower than Matt's temple.

"Thank you, dearest," Kira purred. "You've been a great help."

They were moving again, Kira forcing L to step in front of him, and once again L's mind was unable to grasp the reality of what was happening. They were back in the investigation room in what felt like moments, the ground warping deceptively beneath the detective's feet.

Kira praised mockingly, "You've done well, L. There's only one last thing I need you to do—take that pair of handcuffs and bind yourself to your desk so you can't follow me.

Once again, there seemed to be nothing L could to do fight his own body's movements. He cuffed himself to his desk wordlessly, tugging in demonstration to show that he could not escape.

"Excellent," Kira murmured. "I expect Watari will release the lot of you once I've fled." He steadily maneuvered Matt over to the desk in the far corner, the one beside the door, and in a single moment had him helplessly bound like all the others. Kira turned his back to the task force as he worked, making sure Matt's arms were useless.

L caught a glimpse of movement. His eyes locked onto Aizawa. The man had pulled himself free! But how…? L's searching gaze found a small tube of hand lotion propped up against the computer beside Aizawa. He must have used the stuff as lubrication to slip his hand from the cuff! Don't do anything stupid… L begged silently, and he could tell that the rest of the task force was urging him on similarly. There's nothing you can do, Aizawa. Please, don't take any action you'll regret.

Aizawa was moving. Kira's back was still turned. L longed to call out, to order him to stop—but it would amount to nothing. If Kira turned and saw that Aizawa had escaped, he would shoot Matt, then kill the member of the task force. If L spoke, if he said even a word, he would be condemning his friend to death.

The rest of the beings in the room seemed to have the same thought. The space buzzed with nervous energy, each person longing to stop Aizawa before something happened, but none of them were able to say anything, lest both Aizawa and Matt be killed on the spot.

Aizawa was almost to Kira. His feet landed on the ground gently, the sound inaudible in the large room. Just a few more feet, a few more steps…and then, disaster struck.

Without turning around, Kira spoke. "Tell me, Aizawa, do you think I'm a fool? Did you really think I hadn't noticed that you'd escaped?"

The member of the task force froze, mouth hanging open.

"At the very least you should have grabbed Mello's gun. I left it on the ground just for you, after all." The teen's tone was mocking and chastising at the same time. "It's too bad you weren't a little smarter…but then again, you've always been a bit slow. You know what happens now, don't you?"

Aizawa was clearly about to respond, perhaps with pleading words. But Kira didn't give him the chance.

With one, swift movement, Kira whirled around and shot Aizawa through the head.

The gunshot echoed around the room hollowly, the tone harsh and deadly. A heartbeat later, Aizawa crumped to the ground, dead. Blood dripped from the wound in his head, pooling around him sickeningly. L briefly registered the fact that the computer screen beside him had shattered, the glass littering the ground beneath his feet. The gun was so powerful—or Aizawa's skull had offered so little resistance—that the bullet had traveled right through to shatter the screen, inches from his own head.

"I warned you," Kira sighed. He turned back around, his gaze locking on Matt. He addressed L without making eye contact, announcing, "I warned you, L. I warned you that if anyone escaped, I would kill Matt. Aizawa meant nothing to me, and even less to you, but Matt…losing him will be quite a blow." The teen raised the gun to the successor's head in slow motion. Even from across the room, L could hear Matt's shallow breaths, rasping in and out fearfully. He would never show it in more than a few subtle motions, but he was terrified. He was terrified of death.

"Kira!" Mello screeched, thrashing desperately to free himself. "No, please!" It was the first time L had ever heard Mello use such a pleading tone. "Please, let him go! Don't do this!"

The gun was pressed flush with the center of Matt's forehead. "Sorry," Kira purred. "But I made a promise to L." His finger tensed on the trigger. A smirk was clearly visible on his twisted face, and L realized with dull horror that he was enjoying this—was enjoying Matt's pain. Kira's finger tensed further. And a moment later, he compressed the trigger completely.

L waited for the shot to echo throughout the room, waited for Matt's body to slump to the ground, supported only by the chain binding him to his desk.

But nothing happened. No sound broke the deadly silence.

Kira frowned, pulling the trigger again, then again. He whipped the gun away suddenly and checked the clip. His eyes found L's a moment later, an exasperated expression on his face. "Really, L?" he spat. "One bullet in the whole clip?"

Relief flowed through the detective, sharp and sweet—though he barely felt it over the horror of what had just nearly been allowed to happen. If he'd been more careful, if he'd loaded the gun properly, then Matt would be dead.

Kira's eyes fell upon Mello's gun, the one cast onto the ground, the one that would certainly have more than one bullet within—and L immediately begged Kira silently to walk way, to leave that gun behind.

The murderer narrowed his eyes at L, no doubt receiving his message. "I'd love to kill him," he said slowly, carefully. "But this is to be a game between us, L. And if I kill him, then I suppose I'll be giving myself the advantage. So you're in luck. I will not kill him. Not yet. But the next time we meet…" Kira's fingers clutched Matt's jaw harshly, no doubt leaving bruises in their wake. "I will make sure that my gun is loaded properly."

With that, Kira turned away from Matt. He tossed the useless gun over his shoulder and withdrew the Death Note, beginning to aimlessly riffle through the pages as he walked. It only took two steps, three steps, four, until he was out of sight.

The instant he was gone, L slid down the desk and dropped to his knees, barely registering the fact that he was kneeling in glass. Light…Light was gone. The only man he'd ever loved had just been swallowed up by a murderer. The reality had yet to set in…his entire body felt numb, and that same dull hum from that morning was beginning to fill his ears painfully.

Light…what do I do now?

†††

"Stop scratching away in there!" Kira spat, smacking himself in the head with an open palm. It would do no good, of course, but it still made him feel better to think that he was causing Light at least some pain. The teen was almost completely subdued, but there were still flickers of resistance—flickers that had been especially strong right after shooting Aizawa. Kira held up his fingers before his eyes, rubbing them together, smearing sticky blood between them. The task force member's blood was spattered all over him from their little encounter, and Kira found it both disgusting and enthralling. No doubt the person he was here to see would enjoy it.

Kira slowed his pace as he looked around himself, taking in his surroundings. He was in a bad part of town, that was for sure. He had taken a taxi about a half hour out of headquarters, and had ended up in this area. It befitted this person, the person he had come so far for. The person who had made all of this possible.

Everything around him was dark. It was nighttime now, it having been hours since he left headquarters. He had no doubt that by now L had people searching for him, but it would be useless. They would not find him. Kira's dress shoes clicked over the dirty stone road as he trudged towards the tiny apartment complex at the very end of the street. The walls of the buildings he passed were covered in graffiti; the alleyways held repulsively overflowing dumpsters and equally repulsive criminals. He would have loved to stop and judge those criminals, but he had somewhere he needed to be. His destination was so close…the Strawberry Inn. It was horribly named, seeing as it was not an inn, but an apartment complex. But besides the error in the name, it was perfect. Perfectly subtle, perfectly hidden from the outside world. The tiny group of apartments contained one person, and one person alone. As far as he could tell, that one person was the apartment's first tenant in months. It was a wonder the place was still open with so few people willing to stay there. Although, Kira knew, the people in this area had to be quite desperate for anything of monetary value. If they thought they could rent out a cheap apartment and be given enough money to buy basic life necessities, they would no doubt keep such a dark, dingy place open for as long as they could.

"Hey, beautiful…" a nasty voice sounded behind him.

Kira stopped immediately, fingers gripping the Death Note. He was directly in front of the Strawberry Inn now, just feet from accomplishing his goal. The scum behind him would not change that. "Leave now and I will not kill you," Kira snarled in a low tone.

The man—at least, Kira assumed it was a man from the tone of voice, cackled. "I don't think so, darling. What's a pretty thing like you doing walking out here all alone at night?"

"I am not alone."

"Funny, you look pretty alone to me…"

The sound of footsteps filled the air, and the next moment Kira felt that man's hand on his shoulder. A feeling of disgust filled him, and he wanted nothing more than to judge the man for his filthy intentions. As if someone as disgusting as you will be allowed to touch me. The man whirled him around, and Kira found himself staring up at an older man, perhaps in his late twenties, with dirty brown hair and blazing green eyes. Disgusting…he was no better than a street rat. No, he was a street rat.

"Whadya say we check into this little hotel and have some fun?" the man purred, one hand darting up and gripping Kira's jaw.

How revolting, Kira thought, lips curling nastily into a sneer. This is why I became who I am in the first place. It was because of people like this, the vermin of the world. "Unhand me," he ordered coolly. "I find you repulsive."

The man laughed loudly. "I don't think you're in any position to order me around, princess."

The next thing Kira knew he was being pinned against the wall of the building across from the Strawberry Inn, the man's disgusting hands gripping his shoulders.

'This is the last time I'll warn you," Kira snarled. "Release me."

Of course, as vermin of this sort were bound to do, the man paid no heed to Kira's warning. He leaned in, his breath reeking of alcohol, clearly intending to kiss him. And after that, Kira had quite a grasp of where his mind was headed.

Crack!

The hollow sound of a gunshot rang through the tiny street. A moment later Kira felt warm blood on his face, and the repulsive man's eyes had gone completely wide. He slumped against Kira a heartbeat later, and it took a mere moment for his form to crash to the ground. A large red stain was spreading across the man's back, flowering outwards in a fashion that was horrifyingly beautiful.

"I warned you," Kira snarled, nudging the man with the toe of his shoe. He spat furiously at the sight of his convulsing form, stepping over the man's body without a second glance. No one would miss vermin like him, he was sure. He raised his chin, glaring into the shadows on the other side of the street. The shadows, he knew, where that bullet had emerged. Growling, Kira snapped out furiously, "It took you long enough!" He moved to take another step forward, but the gun cracked again, and Kira felt the fabric of his shirt tear, felt a small wound slice itself into the outer edge of his left shoulder. His eyes narrowed, one hand rising to stem the light flow of blood. It wasn't a deep cut, but it stung sharply. Baring his teeth, Kira snarled, "You're not a very good shot with your left hand. Don't tell me L permanently damaged your right!"

The figure, the one standing opposite Kira on the other side of the street, the one almost completely submerged in shadow, sneered nastily, still holding his gun out threateningly. "How did you find me? Where is your little detective?"

Kira smirked, eyes narrowing. "You're not so clever. All it took was a few minutes of research at headquarters, and it was more than easy to track you down. Next time you go into hiding, you should avoid staying at room 13 at the Strawberry Inn. It's a bit… obvious."

The man snarled out, "Tell me why you're here, or I will kill you. Quite frankly, the only reason I haven't already plugged a bullet into that pretty little head of yours is because I'm curious as to what made you insane enough to show yourself to me."

Kira crossed the tiny street in a single heartbeat. Unsurprisingly, no one had appeared to see what the gunshots were about. In this area, such a noise was just a normal part of life, as was the sight of someone randomly gunned down in the street. Disgusting… Kira spat internally. The thought of such a rapist attempting to lay a hand on me…it's repulsive. He was standing in front of the other man in but a few steps, gazing up into orangey yellow eyes. Shinigami eyes. The gun was pressing harshly into his chest now, and Kira knew that with a single twitch of a finger, his life could end. But he also knew that it wouldn't, not today.

The man repeated himself. "Why are you here?"

"I was convinced you wanted to work with me to kill L. Am I incorrect?"

Immediately the man drew back, light from a nearby streetlamp illuminating an all-too-familiar face. The face of Beyond Birthday. "Light?" he questioned suspiciously, as if he couldn't believe it was really him.

"Not quite," Kira purred. His fingers curled around Beyond's wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. "I'm much, much worse…" He hooked an arm around Beyond's waist, reveling in the surprised breath that the murderer sucked in through clenched teeth.

"…Kira," he murmured wondrously.

Kira used his free hand to yank the murderer's head down, bestowing a violent, bloody kiss upon his cracked lips. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, but when he drew away, Beyond was gasping for breath. It was all the affirmation the murderer needed.

"How is this possible?" he breathed, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Be silent, Beyond," Kira purred in response, carding his fingers through coarse black hair, tugging lightly.

The murderer didn't listen. His eyes glimmered dangerously as he growled, "How do I know this is not an act? How do I know that it is not L's plan to send you here under the pretense of being Kira?"

Smirking, Kira pressed himself flush with the murderer, enjoying the feel of the man's body held against his own. He held up one hand, displaying the blood that had long since dried on his fingers. Aizawa's blood. "Do you see this, dearest Beyond?" His tone was mocking, scathing, despite his endearing words. "Do you see all this red, splattered all over me?"

The murderer nodded breathlessly, hands clasping behind Kira's back uncertainly as his eyes traveled down his form, taking in the globs of still-drying blood clinging to Kira's clothing—some from Aizawa, some from the dead rapist.

"Do you know where it came from?"

A shake of the head.

Kira tugged harshly on Beyond's hair, purring, "It came from a member of the task force that I murdered in cold blood. You should have seen it, should have heard the crack of the gun, should have felt the spray of blood…"

Beyond's eyes filled with a longing, lustful glaze. "You murdered someone without using the Death Note?"

"I did," Kira growled in a low tone, leaning in so his lips brushed Beyond's throat with every word. "I splattered his brains all across the tile. I would have done the same to Matt if L wasn't so negligent when it comes to loading his gun."

"And the notebook?" Beyond questioned. "If you left it behind, both of us will be killed."

Kira smirked, reaching beneath his shirt. He withdrew the Death Note, waving it teasingly before Beyond's eyes.

The murderer's eyes widened. "You…you have the notebook. The only two Death Notes in this world are in our possession!"

"Indeed they are," Kira whispered. He drew back just enough to stare Beyond in the eye, reveling in the gleam of worship he saw swirling within. "We will be gods, Beyond. No, we already are gods. So long as we work together, nothing will be able to stand against us."

There was lust in Beyond's eyes. Lust for power, lust for the notebook—lust for Kira himself.

Kira saw that lust, and mirrored it skillfully. Beyond was not so different from Misa, he knew. All it would take to gain his trust would be a few carefully placed kisses, some clever words, and most importantly, his participation in the act Beyond was so clearly thinking of. The rest would be easy—Kira would not solely use Beyond, and Beyond would not solely use Kira—rather, they would use each other to achieve their goals, sinking deeper and deeper into mutual deception.

The murderer reached out, gripping Kira's wrist in powerful fingers and raising it before his eyes. The fingers of his other hand shot out, running over the splint that held his two broken fingers together. Dropping the appendage, his palm settled over Kira's chest, pressing lightly and drawing a sharp hiss from the teen. "You don't seem to have healed," he murmured in a satisfied tone, his fingers dancing over the back of Kira's left shoulder where that massive scar would no doubt be. "You're still covered in wounds…"

Kira rolled his eyes with a dark smirk, responding, "And I'm sure you'll be eager to create even more…won't you, Beyond?"

The murderer's eyes glimmered with sadistic excitement. "Are you offering?"

Kira leaned in, pressing his forehead lightly to Beyond's. "I believe you have a room here, do you not? Perhaps we should…make use of it."

Beyond's eyes widened. Then, slowly, he nodded, a calculating expression overtaking his features. "Perhaps we should." He took Kira by the wrist, attempting to drag him away, but he was stopped by a meaningful tug in the other direction. He frowned, turning to face his god.

"Now, now," Kira purred. "I hope you don't think I'm going to let you have all the control…I'm not Light, after all."

The murderer raised a brow, his expression one of aroused anticipation. "Are you planning to fight me over it?"

"Undoubtedly."

Smirking, Beyond shook his head slowly. "You're a demon. A devil wearing angel's clothing."

"No…" Kira smirked. "On the contrary, Beyond…I am a god of death." Slowly, deliberately, he latched his fingers around Beyond's wrist, and this time he was the one dragging Beyond for room 13. Or, as Beyond would see it, room B.

The door slammed shut behind them with a note of finality, and didn't reopen.

This concluded part three, and was the most fun I've had on a chapter yet! I love the interaction between Kira and Beyond; it's crazy fun to write. Also, the later I get into the story, the less I have to edit and the more time I have to work on other things, so I've actually had time to work on the DN college AU I was writing before I started posting this! It won't be ready to post for quite a while, but it's still nice to get some work done on it.

I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to drop me a review if you did!