"Night With A Killer"
—Inspired by Death Note—
PART ONE
Bizarre images filled Light Yagami's thoughts as he was escorted under guard from his jail cell to a new location within the new Kira Task Force building. And flashes of dark imaginary jabbed at him like an icepick to the brain making him wince.
His wrists were in chains and he felt like he was being lead to the death chamber.
Could it have been plausible that he had had been working under an external influence, a form of brainwashing, and he had had committed those abhorrent acts under the Kira moniker?
No, it's just my uncertainty. I'm working myself up. I'm beginning to believe untruths. Stop it!
His father was certain he was not Kira, but the other task force members had their doubts. Even Light had his own doubts, however minimal. But he was told L was never wrong.
He knew murder was wrong, but the mystery remained. What was Kira's method of delivery? People were dying by heart attacks. He didn't believe in the supernatural. And there were no such things has ghosts or Shinigami.
The new Kira operations was inside a tall building located in the Kanto downtown district.
Light had been housed and jailed in the basement for fifty days or more. The last forty days he could remember clearly despite every day pretty much blending into one, night and day were the same, only his biological clock told him to sleep. And the first week he was jailed was very hazy, almost not retrievable.
L offered to use hypnotism on him to recall that first week, but L also recalled that that week was uneventful and Light was very quiet. Nothing of any consequence.
The evening was late, but Light wasn't tired in the slightest. Offered a position on the task force, he was ready to go work on the Kira Case immediately.
His mind was racing like lightning in the storm and he wanted to prove his innocence. All the things he heard from the other task force members added fuel to his desire. But what could he do? He never took anything on faith. If he didn't experience or hear it for himself, it was only conjecture. He needed to get up to speed. And Kira had become active during his jail time.
He felt like he was missing a large chunk of memory and he tried to push at them, hoping to bring something to the surface. Was Kira's power that great he can manipulative even memory?
L changed Light's handcuffs from a pair to just one. Now, Light was handcuffed by the wrist by a single chain to himself and to the detective. They were to be together 24/7 until Kira was caught according to L. Light agreed.
Light was lead him down a long brown carpeted corridor after the other task force members split to retire for the evening to their private units on a Residential Level. Each of the task force members had their own suite, even Misa, who had been accused of being the Second Kira but who was now free under certain restrictions. She was an actress and still needed to go to work under the supervision of one of the task force members at all times.
But something told Light that this wouldn't be the case for him. A jail cell was still a jail cell.
L stopped at a brown oak door. "We're here, your home away for home," he said, "and for as long as I deem it necessary. You can call your mother any time, but only under supervision, and all your conversions will be recorded. Your mother and sister must be worried. The excuse your father provided for your absence was, well, you can ask him yourself."
Light stood confidently. "You can trust me, Ryuzaki," he said. He raised his wrist. "But are these cuffs really necessary? They seem counter-productive. I want to catch Kira, 100%."
"I want to keep an eye on you," L returned. "As I explained earlier, you and I will be together 24/7, and that means day and night." L reached for the handle and opened the door, he stepped inside, literally dragging Light with him.
Light gasped when he saw the inside of L's suite, how luxurious it was. It had a large sitting area, a king-sized four-post bed, with adjoining common washroom facilities, and a large wide-screen TV screen on one wall. At the moment, it was filled with boxes of camera angles of both the hallway and inside the room, all live. Cameras were everywhere. Light also saw a large ring attached to the the left side of the bed and it didn't take a genius to denote where he was going to sleep, chained up like some dog. He hated the idea, but he understood L's thinking.
L stretched his arms above his head. "You should get some sleep, Light," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. I hope you don't snore."
Light frowned. "I don't snore, but my father has said on occasion that I do talk in my sleep," he said back. L looked intrigued. "What about your sleeping habits? Anything I should know?"
"I don't sleep much," L said back.
"Not surprising with those bags under your eyes and all those sweets you eat."
"I suffer from bouts of insomnia. It stems back to my childhood. I seem to recall that your father told me you suffered with a bout of insomnia for three days."
Light nodded. "I don't remember much about it," Light reflected. "But I do seem to recall I was very anxious at the time. I was afraid to go to sleep."
"Sometimes a terrible fright can alter the brain chemistry and cause hyper-awareness forcing you to go into a fight-or-flight scenario. Your father didn't go into the details. Only that you were hospitalized and given a sedative, later taken to a specialist. After that, you were fine."
I'm going to have to ask Dad about that, Light thought.
Light walked to the bed and sat down on the mattress, it felt firm. He enjoyed his own twin bed with a softer mattress, but beggars can't be choosers. "So, how will this go? You work and I sleep? Ryuzaki, it's well known fact, mental alertness depletes by 60% without adequate sleep. I'm not a night owl like you. And I like a dark room to sleep."
L produced a thin smirk. "Hello darkness my old friend," quoting a line from a song. "You can be rest assured, Light. I won't keep you up. I have a few things to do before turning in." He indicated a laptop on a small table in the far corner of the room. He looked at a clock on the wall. "In the meantime, you can get ready for bed." He pointed to a small bag on the floor at the end of the bed. "I asked your father to bring you a few things you may need or want."
"And how do I change with us chained up?" Light said.
"I'll unchain us, but I'll watch you like a hawk. And for your sake, I hope you're not wearing anything embarrassing." L smirked. "Watari went through your entire room when he installed those cameras, including your clothes. He's a very thorough. I never took you one for wearing the leopard-skin tight briefs, very bold."
Light gulped. "How dare you!" he said angrily. "I have rights, Ryuzaki. What about the right to privacy? And if I'm chained up at night, what do I do when I have to use the bathroom? Will you be joining me? Watching me?" Light sneered.
L tilted his head. "It's either this, or you can go back to your cell. Either way is fine with me. But I thought after all this time you'd prefer a more dignified place to sleep. Still, you're still being watched, as you can clearly see on the screen. So, if you try anything, your new privileges will be immediately revoked and you will go back behind bars. The only reason you're here is because I no longer had suffice reason to keep you locked up." L grumbled softly.
Light didn't like his options and he shared his displeasure with a snort. "Unchain me. And no, I'm not wearing anything embarrassing under my clothes, but I could use a shower."
L sniffed. "You do seem a little ripe. Note, there are cameras in the bathroom as well. You'll be unchained, but watched."
Light frowned. "Just promise me you won't upload any naked pictures of me to the internet. I have a reputation to uphold and I want to be police officer."
"All footage will be archived and erased at my discretion. Or, I could turn off the cameras in the bathroom and watch you. Trust me when I say, yours would not be the first naked body I've seen and this is not my first time at this sort of imprisonment. I could tell you stories."
"Maybe Misa is right. You are a pervert!"
Light glared nastily at L, but ultimately resigned to his fate. He agreed to be watched via CCTV as he showered, but he had no intention of doing anything untold. But he did wonder where the hidden camera was inside the shower as he washed himself down.
The warm water felt good and It felt good to be clean. He towelled down and then dressed for bed. He felt good to be in some clean clothes. It had been awhile, wearing basically the same thing like a prison jumpsuit for over fifty days.
When he returned to the main area, his left wrist was handcuffed and then chained to the wall hook via a long chain. L was free, and he went back to his computer, working on something Light couldn't see. But he could see L muttering something under his breath. He had some experience reading lips, part of police surveillance training on his own time. He couldn't catch all of it, but it had something to do with a case and something about someone's birthday?
Light shook his head. It was none of his business. He lay on his side of the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The situation before him foremost on his mind.
He then sat up and rummaged through his bag for his toothbrush. Then he found it, a memento. His father must have picked it up. Immediately, Light beamed a smile.
It was a framed picture of his best friend. The picture was taken at the Japan Junior Tennis Championships that Light had won. Little did anyone know, he was once a professional tennis player. Then, for some reason, he gave it up. Retired. Rumours of an unclaimed injury floated around. But Light knew the real reason, his heart just wasn't in it anymore. He was bored of it. He had won the ultimate prize. There was nothing left to strive for.
And his best friend was also the source of the leopard-skin briefs, it was a gag gift for winning. Light never got Demetre Draycott back for it.
Back when they were kids, Light's father would take them both on summer trips to the Yagami Family cottage. One day, while exploring, they came across a very large leopard-spotted cat. Light was frozen with fear. He thought it was a wild cat and it would eat him, hiding behind Demetre, terrified. He was only eight at the time. But it turned out to be someone's very large pet cat, the owner lived in a small cabin the in the woods near-by.
He kept the briefs deep in his clothes drawer for sentimental reasons, they were too small for him now anyway. And how dare Watari go through his drawers. Light felt violated.
L wandered over. "What are you looking at?" he asked, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. L pointed at Light's picture. "How young were you when this picture was taken?"
"I was twelve," Light replied with a smile. "I have very fond memories of my time during at this junior tennis champion tournament. And Demmy was there to cheer me on the entire time."
L nodded. "Demetre Draycott, yes," he said. "I seem to recall meeting him once at your university. He witnessed Watari kidnap Misa Amane on my suspicion of her being the Second Kira. Because I couldn't let him go spread rumours, I questioned him, and revealed certain facts."
Light shot a glance to L. "Does Demmy know who you are?"
"In a matter of speaking, but he has promised to keep my identity a secret. He doesn't know my real name, of course. But he is only a handful of people outside this circle who know what I look like. And from our talk, I got the feeling Demetre Draycott can be trusted."
"If he promised you, then he'll keep your secret. He's that kind of person. 100% trustworthy."
L narrowed his eyes and turned to Light fully, crouching on the bed in his unusual manner. He put a thumb to his lips. "So, if your friend knew a secret about you and he promised to keep it, would he keep it no matter what? BFF, that sort of thing?"
"Back off, Ryuzaki. Whatever he knows of the Kira Case, he's probably figured it out for himself. But I doubt he has any interest in it." Light winced. One of those dark flashes crossed his mind, something about Demmy and the Kira Case. He didn't know why he felt there was a connection.
L stared at Light for what felt like a long moment and it began to creep Light out, but then the detective turned around and sat down on the mattress properly. "What I know of your friend, I deduced from our encounter, yet I know nothing in depth. Where did you two meet?"
Light lowered the picture, but looked at it thoughtfully. "Not much to tell really. His father's financial firm transferred him to Tokyo, because they had just opened a division there. His family moved from America. His mother is Japanese, his father is American, but his grandfather is Russian. Demmy got his name from his grandfather, and it's spelled differently than the traditional way I'm told, with an 're' instead of 'ri'. They came to live in Kanto later on."
L nodded, as if he was already aware of these facts. Light continued.
But then Light suddenly stopped. "Why am I telling you all this? What does my relationship with Demetre have to do with the Kira Case?"
"Knowledge is power, Light. You never know what could help with an investigation even if it seems irrelevant at the time. I could strap you to a Polygraph, but without the proper questions to ask, it would be moot. However, I don't suspect your friend of any nefarious deeds."
Light cursed L mentally. "I'm not Kira, just get that straight, Ryuzaki," he said.
"Like you've said," L said.
Light sighed, then went on. "Demmy and I met at a recreational centre when we kids, around five years old. He was swimming freestyle. Demmy is talented in everything. He's very athletic and intelligent. And picks things up at an alarming pace, which it why he can speak five languages. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of him for that."
L mused. "And you thought you were the smartest guy around." L smirked thinly. "I see, jealous of your best friend. That's something to add to your profile." L then waved his hand in the air. "But don't get bent out of shape, Light. I'm a detective, profiling people is what I do."
Light shrugged. "We all have flaws. And Demmy has helped me push myself forward through some of the dark times in my life, but I can't seem to recall much of them—only the feelings."
"Repressed memory," L said. "We all have things in our lives we don't care to remember." L was quiet for a moment. "Much like yourself, I also had a friend I cared about. But things didn't work out and we went our separate ways. So, cherish your friends, Light. You never know when your relationship with them will come back to haunt you. Forgive me, assist you, later in life."
Light didn't know what L meant, but didn't ask. "Now that we've had a good bed-time talk, Ryuzaki, I feel like I want to go to sleep. Do whatever you want."
"On second thought, I think I'm ready to hit the sack. But I have to warn you, I don't like rough things against my skin when I'm sleeping."
Light's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Ryuzuki?"
And L began to undress.
Light made a decision. He was handcuffed with the long chain to the hook on the wall, but it was long enough to sleep on the floor as L took the bed, naked as a jailbird, draping his shirt and jeans on a chair next to his side of the bed.
L got under the covers. Light lay on the floor without.
"Are you sure you don't want to sleep on a comfortable bed, Light? That cot in the cell didn't look too comfortable. I hope you're not frightened of my sleeping habits?"
Not frightened, but weirded out, Light thought. He kept learning new and bizarre things about this detective. "Starting tomorrow, I think we should make other sleeping arrangements."
"Suit yourself," L said non-committed, and turned over under the covers. Light turned over himself on the hard floor and grumbled under his breath.
But after an hour, he made another decision unable to sleep. As long as Ryuzuki was under the covers, he would he fine on top with his blanket. With L asleep, Light returned the mattress. L was on his side of the bed. Light on the other with plenty of room between them.
And within minutes, Light drifted off to sleep.
To be continued...