Chapter Text
L didn't understand.
Light is Kira.
Some part of Light should have been celebrating that L was cornered by the broadcast and that Kira was so close to having his name. Almost all the evidence pointed to the fact that Light had been Kira once, and that resolve would still have to be there, lurking beneath the pretty surface.
L had teased Light. Awkward. Light had misinterpreted that. L had meant that Light had felt awkward to have someone fussing over him. Not...
Now, he realized that had probably been a mistake. He'd just handcuffed Light to his wrist, thinking Kira couldn't possibly make a move. A small miscalculation. A large one. Light was dating Misa; how was he supposed to have known? Why would he have even cared?
He's trying to manipulate you.
That's only possible if it affects me.
Does it?
Everyone was on edge. A new day had dawned. Six more.
The bells...
Biting the tip of his thumb, L tried to ignore the quiet procession as the task force entered the room. He had slept maybe forty minutes the previous night at his desk.
How would it look? His funeral? Would Matsuda clasp his hands as he was doing now, eyes downcast as Aizawa followed him, sorry for all of the things he'd said? Soichiro and Mogi would be there, helping to carry the casket. Solemn. And Light... he would be there too. Would he be Kira again by then, or would he attend L's funeral as Light Yagami, the real Light Yagami?
Light and L sat across from each other, the chain binding them clinking softly whenever one moved. L nursed his cup of coffee, his dark eyes almost refusing to leave Light.
They told everyone what they had discovered the day before.
"We need to find out who promised Aiko safety," L said. "Her phone records and emails might hold more clues."
"We should also talk to her friend. She might know something we don't," suggested Light.
"Agreed. We'll start there."
Matsuda looked nervous but determined. "We'll continue to keep a close eye on Misa," he promised, and Mogi nodded. "Although so far... all she keeps doing is worry about Light."
Soichiro and Aizawa informed everyone of the small team they had gathered of trusted officers to investigate potential leaks within the police force. No one seemed suspicious of leaking anything yet.
Light and L left headquarters to visit Aiko Nakamura's friend, the one mentioned in her letter. In the car, they sat in tense silence. L took something from his pocket, something Light noticed Watari had handed to him earlier—a small key. He used it to release the handcuff from his wrist, and then Light's.
Light hesitated.
"It's going to look strange if we turn up like that. She might already not want to talk to us," L explained.
The handcuff no longer being on Light's wrist felt odd. He'd gotten so used to it that being without it didn't feel... normal anymore.
"Aren't you worried that I'm going to make a run for it?" asked Light, his tone challenging. "I'm still your main suspect," he reminded him begrudgingly.
"If you want to run, then run," L replied, his voice low and even. "There's nowhere I wouldn't be able to find you." It was stated more like a fact than a threat.
Light rested his head back on the seat, his eyes drifting to L. They wanted to close from the sleepless night before, but there was no way his mind would allow them to.
L then pulled a box out from the floor. "Put these on," he instructed Light, handing him a police uniform. Judging by the faint and familiar smell of cologne, it was Matsuda's.
Light arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Did he even wash these?" Then, he smelled the cigarette on L's clothes.
"At least you don't have Aizawa's. This smell is impossible to wash out," L muttered, his voice carrying a hint of irritation.
Light usually looked away when L changed, but this time, he found his gaze lingering. "You almost... look like a real detective," he told him.
L shot him a dry look. "Then what do I usually look like?"
"You look..." hesitating, Light decided to shake his head. He pulled on Matsuda's trousers. He needed a belt, because his waist was smaller. He reached for it.
"You look older," L told him.
"Thanks?" Light wasn't sure if that was a compliment. Did L see him being that much younger? Another thing he didn't know about L. His age. "You can't be that much older than me?"
"Around five years."
Surprised, Light finished looping the belt and glanced at him. "You actually told me?"
"That wouldn't tell you anything about my identity, anyway. Before you even - "
"I'm not trying to find out your identity." Light brushed off. "You know everything about me, and I don't really know anything about you. But if it really bothers you, I won't ask."
There was a pause. "What else do you want to know?"
Swallowing, so many questions came into Light's head that he didn't know which to choose. L was giving him a chance to know something more? "I only want you to tell me what you want to," Light decided was the safest, and most honest answer.
"I wish… you weren't Kira," L said quietly. So quietly Light almost didn't hear it.
Aiko's friend, Haruka, lived in a modest apartment in a quiet neighborhood. When she answered the door, her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.
"Haruka, we need to ask you some questions about Aiko," Light said gently, flashing a police badge. It was fake, but necessary. They needed her cooperation.
She nodded, stepping aside to let them in. "O... Of course. I was... waiting for a visit from the police, actually."
Inside, they sat on a worn couch. The air was heavy with stillness. Haruka clasped her hands tightly, her knuckles white.
"We just need to ask a few questions," Light assured her. "We won't be long. If it's too difficult, we understand, but anything you can tell us would help." His eyes were filled with compassion, locking onto hers. She was immediately captivated, unable to look away.
"Aiko mentioned in her letter that she felt watched and that someone promised her safety. Do you know who that might be?" Light asked softly.
Haruka shook her head. "She never mentioned a name, just that she met someone who said they could protect her from Kira. She was so scared..."
Leaning forward, his presence commanding and intense, L asked, "Did she tell you anything else? Any detail could be important."
Haruka frowned, trying to recall, her gaze shifting from Light to L. "She did say she met them at a coffee shop near Shibuya Station. Late at night, around midnight."
L's eyes sharpened. "Did she say which coffee shop?"
"Yes, it was the one on the corner of Shibuya and Inokashira. She liked going there because it was always quiet that late."
"Did she mention anyone she met with, any friends? Was there anything unusual about her behavior in her final days?"
Haruka had a handkerchief in her hand but she moved uneasily, shifting on the couch, like she was suddenly uncomfortable.
She hesitated, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know what she did was wrong... She had stolen a lot of money. It was my fault. We had been friends since we were young. She was desperate. She embezzled money to help me pay off my debts. I begged her not to, but she wouldn't listen. She wanted to protect me, and now..."
Her hands shook, the handkerchief falling to the floor. Haruka's eyes glazed over, and her demeanor shifted suddenly. With a quick, jerky motion, she lunged forward, a glint of metal in her hand. She went straight for L, a knife firmly clasped in her hand and it thrust forward.
"Ryuzaki -!" Light shouted, moving instinctively to protect L.
Haruka's knife struck Light's side, the force of the blow knocking him back but he grabbed at Haruka's wrist, struggling to disarm her as he crumpled to the floor, blood seeping through his shirt. The world around him blurred and darkened as he fought to stay conscious.
In the chaos, Haruka convulsed, clutching her chest. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Her eyes widened in terror as she succumbed to a heart attack, her body going limp.
L's breath came in short, panicked bursts. He glanced at Light, who was clutching his side. "Watari," L called into his phone, his voice trembling, "call the police and an ambulance. Now."
L's eyes scanned Light's wound, analyzing the location and depth. His hands trembled as he pressed down on Light's side, trying to stem the bleeding. His heart raced as he realized how close the knife had come to a vital organ. Panic surged through him.
"Light, stay with me," L urged, his voice breaking. "Help is coming. Light?"
Light's face was pale.
Light Yagami… is Kira?
Light Yagami…
Light Yagami… is dying?
The bells...
How they were getting louder. How they clanged and crashed and screamed and clattered.
L bit down hard.
"Light Yagami. Listen to me. You are not going to die now. There is an ambulance on the way. Don't you dare."
Had L made a mistake?
Light was Kira...?
Light stirred faintly. He was breathing shallowly. But his eyes didn't open.
Light was lifted into the ambulance. L stayed by his side, his usually impassive face lined with worry. The paramedics worked quickly, their voices a distant murmur as Light slipped in and out of consciousness.
At the hospital, L paced outside the emergency room, his mind racing. Watari had instructed the ambulance to go to a private hospital. One where it would be safer and they wouldn't be disturbed.
After what felt like hours, a doctor emerged. "He's stable," the doctor finally reassured, though his expression remained serious. "The knife narrowly missed any major organs."
L entered Light's room, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The heart monitor was steady. Light didn't move. There wasn't a chair, so L carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
"Light?" he said quietly. "Can you hear me?"
There was no response.
"Then..." L hugged his knees closer to his chest. "I guess I'll talk..."
L was sure that Misa Amane had somehow lost her memories of being Kira, her behaviour had been completely different. And she wasn't that good of an actress. He assumed it was linked to some rule of Kira's power. Light, however, had never shown such a shift and L assumed it was because he never lost his memories of being Kira. A good actor? Light could be. A suicidal Kira who would risk his life for L?
Hospitals were always so white. So sanitized. So cold. L hated them.
"I need to apologize," he murmured softly.
No one answered him. Light would surely have something to say. L could just imagine Light, scolding him. "You finally believe me? How many times did I have to tell you, Ryuzaki, I'm not Kira?"
L's lips were suddenly dry.
"You probably won't forgive me. But, I don't know... who Kira is anymore."
Light's chest was still rising and falling. He stirred, his eyes slowly opened. He squinted at the harsh hospital lights, then focused on the figure sitting beside him. "Ryuzaki?" he breathed. "Where are we?"
L startled. "In the hospital."
Wincing, Light tried to look around and remember something. Anything.
"You were stabbed," L explained softly. "Haruka attacked us. Then she... had a heart attack."
Light's eyes widened slightly, trying to process the information. His gaze drifted to the bandages on his side.
"How long have I been here?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.
"A few hours." L's eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, were now filled with a mix of relief and guilt. "Why did you do it?" L finally asked, his voice barely audible. "Why did you protect me?"
Light's eyes softened, his gaze locking with L's.
"I fell for you." Light's voice was barely above a whisper.
L's eyes widened slightly, his heart racing as he processed Light's words. Yet, here it was, laid bare before him, by the very person he suspected of being Kira. L's mind raced, the logical part of him struggling to reconcile this whole conversation. "Light..." L began, his voice unsteady. "I... don't know how to respond."
"You don't have to say anything, Ryuzaki. I just need you to know. Whatever happens, I'm on your side."
"Rest," L said gently, standing up. "We will move to headquarters, and you'll continue getting care there."
Light nodded, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. "Thank you, Ryuzaki."
As Light drifted off to sleep, L sat back down. His phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen to see a message from Watari:
'All arrangements made. Safe transport at dawn.'
Dawn broke, casting a pale light into the hospital room. The transport team arrived discreetly, ensuring that no one would notice their movements.
Light was transferred onto a stretcher, and L followed closely.
As they reached the entrance, Soichiro Yagami appeared, his face lined with worry.
"Ryuzaki," Soichiro began, his voice tight with anxiety, "how is he?"
L met his gaze, his own worry mirrored in Soichiro's eyes. "He's stable for now, and he was awake for a while, but he needs rest. We're taking him back to headquarters for continued care."
Soichiro nodded, swallowing hard as he looked at his son. "Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "For saving him."
L's expression softened slightly. "He saved me," he replied quietly.