Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Author's note:
I've made some edits to this fic to address a few minor inconsistencies and refine parts I wasn't fully satisfied with, particularly in the dialogue and descriptions. But, the essence of the story remains unchanged.
11 August, 2024

"There are many types of monsters in this world: Monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble; monsters who abduct children; monsters who devour dreams; monsters who suck blood; and monsters who always tell lies."

"The truth is... You're the first friend I've ever had," L stated flatly, his voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm. The claim caught Light off guard. L's intention was clear—to unsettle Light, to exploit any vulnerability. Friend? Light thought, momentarily taken aback. Surely, L didn't have friends, except perhaps Watari. Their relationship seemed more like a professional arrangement. But L and him? That was out of the question.

Light regained his composure quickly. "Well," he retorted, breaking the tense silence, "I'm not Kira. If you want us to be friends, you might need to start believing that."

L raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes scrutinizing Light.

"Not Kira?" L muttered, almost to himself. "All evidence points otherwise."

"Maybe," Light shot back, a trace of frustration creeping into his voice, "you just can't be happy unless I'm Kira. Well, sorry to disappoint. While you waste time accusing me, Kira slips further away from justice. If I have to, I'll bring Kira to justice alone."

Light's words hung in the air, heavy with conviction. He turned to leave the room, but he felt L's gaze follow him, a silent challenge lingering between them. As Light reached the door, he hesitated.

"Do you really believe, without a doubt, that I'm Kira, Ryuzaki?" Light asked, his voice softer.

L's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. "Of course."

Outside, rain streaked down the windows. L watched the droplets with detached interest, finding solace in their rhythmic patter against the glass. His work often triggered debilitating headaches, pounding within his skull like a relentless drumbeat threatening to burst through.

Boom, Boom, Boom...

His skull remained intact. The pattering of rain always helped to ease the pounding. A tap on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, Ryuzaki?"

It was Matsuda.

"Yes," L murmured. "Just a headache."

"I brought you some coffee," Matsuda offered, holding out a steaming cup.

"Thank you," L acknowledged with a slight nod.

Light sat a meter away, focused on his laptop.

"Light…?"

"I've been drinking too much coffee lately. I'm trying to cut down on all this caffeine." A pause. "But thank you."

"Right." Rubbing a hand behind his head, Matsuda let out a short sigh. "You know, after the Kira case… I think we all need a holiday."

Light glanced up. It was such an odd thought that it momentarily seemed ridiculous.

"A holiday?"

A holiday. In the midst of a mass murderer killing hundreds every day? In the midst of them risking their lives to catch someone who was probably planning every moment to end theirs?

"Yeah… When I was younger… My mom and dad always took me to Okinawa in the summer…"

"Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off," L suggested. "It seems the stress is getting to everyone."

"Huh?"

"Um, no. I'm fine." Matsuda didn't sound certain. "I just need to catch up on some sleep. Anyway, trying to find Kira... is... taking it's toll on all of us."

And Light could feel that Matsuda was staring at him.

Could you really… be Kira? Just like L says?

The question that always poisoned the air stubbornly refused to leave. Day in and day out, whether it was Matsuda, Soichiro, Mogi… his father. There it was. Staring right back at him.

No. I'm not Kira. L has it wrong. And every moment you believe that, we're wasting time. You really think I'm a murderer?

He glanced over at L, seeing fatigue etched on his face.

He was staring again into his cup.

"I haven't yet seen Prague," he murmured. "Although, I can imagine it's…"

"Ryuzaki, if you want, you're going to see it one day," Light cut in. "Don't talk like that. Take a painkiller, get some rest. I'm fine to continue working for a while. I want to solve this case not only to stop Kira, but also to prove my innocence. Let's find Kira. Then, Matsuda, you can talk about taking a vacation."

"Uh…"

"Light is right." L shrugged. "The sooner we apprehend Kira, the better."

Misa Amane.

Light Yagami's girlfriend suspected of being the second Kira.

She sat opposite them on a sofa, pouting. Her pretty blue-lensed eyes shining with contempt.

"Why can't we go on a proper date for once?"

Light folded his arms, and L took note. Light probably didn't want to be there, sitting on a sofa opposite her, let alone on a date. However, Misa Amane never seemed to notice.

Misa, acting as the second Kira, sent several tapes to Sakura TV, which broadcasted messages to the public and the original Kira. These tapes contained instructions and threats meant to communicate with the original Kira and to spread fear among the public.

L stirred his coffee.

"Both you and Light are under surveillance. Until Kira is caught and your innocence can be proven, I'm afraid you can't have a proper date. But..." He popped a cube of sugar into his mouth. "Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here. That shouldn't be too hard. After all, Light outshines me in almost every way. And he's much better to look at."

"Isn't my Light so handsome!"

Even though it wasn't a question, L answered, "Oh yes, the most in all of Japan."

"Why..." Light hesitated, "do I suddenly have a fan club in here?"

"There's hardly enough people to be a club." L smiled, popping another cube of crunchy sickly sweetness into his mouth. "Mm, but perhaps that's a good idea. We could use this strategy to expand the task force."

"Oh, Ryuzaki," Misa giggled. "You're so funny. But really, it would be so nice to go somewhere more romantic. Light, when this is over, where will we go? Oh, what about a picnic? Just lying on the grass, talking, looking up at the sky... Wouldn't that be romantic?"

If Light had a romantic bone in his body, he didn't show it.

"Yeah... sounds great."

The task force had retrieved the tapes that had been sent to the TV station from the second Kira and conducted a forensic analysis on them. There were traces of Misa Amane's DNA: fingerprints, and strands of her hair.

Light shifted uncomfortably.

"So, Misa, seeing as you haven't been chained to anyone lately, how have you been passing the time?"

"Well, I was reading some magazines! Do you know Hideki Ryuga has a girlfriend? It was a huge scandal! They've been dating in secret for three years, and the public found out about it because a fan saw them together and spread the pictures. Can you imagine? Having to hide the person you love for all that time... Ah, how difficult it must have been... I feel so sorry for him."

The presence of Misa's DNA on the tapes provided evidence that she was directly involved in the creation and distribution of the tapes.

"Have you ever had to hide your feelings before?" L asked Light, despite 'not being there', like the question was loaded.

Light's eyes shifted to him.

Feelings such as murderous, violent thoughts, for instance? L's face replied.

"Not in the way that you think."

"What?" Misa asked, "Light, is there something that you're not telling me? Oh, I get it! You're too embarrassed to say how you feel with Ryuzaki around."

"Yeah... something like that."

"As I said," L put up a hand, "just pretend I'm not here."

"Ohh, this isn't fair!" Misa squealed. "Ryuzaki, hurry up and find Kira. You're supposed to be the world's greatest detective or something like that, aren't you? So why haven't you found him yet? I've been waiting a long time to go on a normal date with Light, you know!"

"I'm curious, what kind of dates did you go on before?" L threw back.

"Well, we... um..." As she thought about it, her lips crumpled. "We haven't..."

"You haven't been on a date?" L brought his cup of coffee to his lips. Cold. "Then how did you and Light start dating if you haven't even been on a single date?" He sipped it anyway.

"Hm..." Blushing, she waved him off. "Never mind about that. That's not any of your business. Pretend you're not here, remember?"

"As you wish."

"Ridiculous," said Aizawa. "We're never going to catch Kira at this rate!"

"Hey, of course we will!" Matsuda replied. "We just… need to take a break! Let's call it a day... Or, er, night?"

"Ugh," running a hand through his hair, Aizawa nodded. "Well, it's going to be the same tomorrow anyway. I have a kid waiting for me at home. Soon she's going to forget who her father is."

"Everyone can leave," L instructed. "It's difficult for me to concentrate with all of you here anyway."

Grunting, Aizawa put on his coat. "Yeah, well, 'thanks for all your work,' 'you're welcome'!"

"Yes, thank you for your work," L nodded.

"Son," said Soichiro, "I'll see you tomorrow." Feeling a hand land on his shoulder, Light glanced at the clock, 1:21 am, before turning his head to look up at his father. The hollows under his eyes had turned into dark pools of exhaustion. "Make sure you rest too."

"Yeah, I will, Dad."

Round and round, wherever Kira went, they were always somewhere behind, chasing him in a spiral that only seemed to go further down.

Another criminal, dead. And another. It was hard to feel sympathy for them; in fact, Light wasn't even sure that he did (and that's why you're Kira, L mumbled in his head), but a killer was a killer and murder was murder and hunger was hunger. After all, who will Kira kill after all the world's worst criminals are dead?

Throwing his headphones off and with news reports finally leaving his ears, Light closed his eyes.

A killer that can kill with only a name and face. One wrong step and they could all be…

"Cake?"

His eyes reluctantly jammed opened.

"What?" Light mumbled.

"You'll need energy if you're going to stay awake."

"I told my dad I'd rest…"

L pushed a piece of cake closer to him.

Cake makes you fat. Misa's voice echoed somewhere around his tired brain.

"Thanks."

First, there was the distant taste of cream. Then, the metallic spoon sat, idle in his mouth. Everything had almost lost its flavor lately.

"Perhaps you should rest."

Light shot him a sour look.

"Although your dedication to catching Kira is truly impressive," L continued, "when you don't sleep, your mood becomes terrible."

"Your mood is always terrible."

"I don't usually work with other people. You want to join the police force, so you should develop better social habits."

"And your goal," riled Light, "is to put me behind bars as soon as possible. Do you think I'm even thinking about my future career at the moment?"

"You don't envision a future career? Interesting."

"That's not what I…" Sighing and not taking the bait, Light stood. "Let's rest," he said decidedly.

Sleeping next to L was never easy. Light always felt watched. Although whenever he opened his eyes, L was always either looking up at the ceiling or had his own eyes closed.

Light always slept under the covers, and L always slept on top of them. Light would often wake up trying to pull the blankets over himself more, but they were always firmly anchored underneath a caffeine-addicted someone. It was a wonder that L could even sleep, with all that coffee and sugar ebbing inside of him.

Healthy habits. The irony of those words even leaving L's mouth.

Night wasn't only just a different time, but it was also a different dimension. The Light Yagami around the task force and then only around L was a different Light Yagami. And so was L. The building was different. The walls, the way their voices echoed, and the sound of L's breathing was different.

Swallowing, Light decided to, again, ignore the thoughts that intruded into his mind at these times.

"Light?" L's voice broke the loud silence.

"Yeah?"

"Where would you go?"

"Huh?"

"On holiday... Matsuda was saying..."

The conversations were different. For moments, when L was tired, he sometimes spoke to Light like he wasn't Kira.

"I don't know..." Light hesitated. "It's not something... I can even think about right now."

Misa Amane was Light's girlfriend. L thought that he was Kira. All of the evidence pointed to him.

Light Yagami couldn't be Kira. He knew he wasn't.

"Probably wherever you go." Light replied. "After all," he lifted up his arm from the bed. The chain connecting them clinked in the darkness.

"Good point. Then, where would we go?"

"Old Town Square?"

"Then?"

"The castle. I've only seen one in Japan…"

"Hm…"

Light turned to look at him. A glow of light from the city outside filtered through the large, mirrored glass window. "How's your headache?"

"Getting worse. I might ask Watari for different medicine. I think they've turned into chronic migraines."

"Try and sleep..."

"You don't get them?"

"No... You should take care of yourself more."

"It almost sounds like you're worried."

There had been a pause before that statement, and Light's eyes had already wearily closed.

"I am." Light replied. "No matter what you think... I swear, I'd give my life for you. If it came to it. I want to catch Kira... probably even more than you."

L frowned. Uncertain, for a moment.

"Sleep." Light repeated. "Can you?"

Light brushed his teeth clean. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he barely recognized himself. The same dark circles under his father's eyes were also under his. Tinted moisturizer couldn't fix it. But at least it gave him a lustre that didn't make him look terrible. Now he looked stressed and sleep-deprived, but with a slightly more even and shiny complexion. He blinked and glanced over at L. L had just washed his face and was drying it with a towel. Water dripped off the front and sides of his hair.

Light often wondered where exactly L was from. His hair was even darker than Light's natural hair color. His eyes were thundercloud grey. His skin pale. And he spoke several languages fluently. L had mentioned being a junior British tennis champion before, so maybe he was simply from England. Although, when he'd spoken in English before, his accent hadn't been British.

"Do you have a headache today?" Light asked in English, deciding to see if he could pinpoint it exactly.

"Why are you speaking in English?"

"Decided to practice. Anyway, you're always speaking Japanese. Don't you get tired of it?"

"Not really." L deadpanned.

Raising an eyebrow, Light asked, "Does my accent bother you?"

"No…"

"But something's bothering you?"

"I'm just used to speaking with you in Japanese."

Light thought that L's accent was more American. Although, he could have easily just been faking it. It wouldn't be a stretch, considering he wanted to keep everything about himself a secret.

"You sound different." A smile tugged at Light's lips. He tidied the sink and vanity, putting everything away, back in its place: toothbrush, moisturizer, razor…

"Than when I'm speaking Japanese?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I don't know exactly…"

"Well, so do you."

"Am I making mistakes?"

"No. Although I'd like to remind you that I am a detective, not an English tutor."

"And I'd like to remind you that I'm a straight-A student, not a mass murderer."

L shrugged. "It's possible to be both."

"Yeah, well, you still have soap in your hair Ryuzaki."

"Where?"

"You're the detective." Light smirked.

"What are they talking about?" Mogi whispered to Matsuda.

Matsuda, also puzzled, shrugged. "I think they're speaking in English. Do you understand it?"

"Not at all."

"Aizawa?"

"Count me out."

"Chief?"

"Uh…" Soichiro peered up over his glasses. "They're discussing something about Kira's killing patterns… changes?"

"Whoa, you can understand it?"

"Not really," the older man admitted. "I just picked up on some words here and there."

Light Yagami was sitting next to L, as he usually was, and they were both in deep discussion.

My son, next to the world's greatest detective, speaking in another language…

He almost didn't believe it himself. Light was always a brilliant student; he'd even helped the Tokyo police solve cases before, but he had never felt so much pride. Light, his son, being Kira? It had to be a mistake. Even if L believed it, he couldn't bring himself to. No, Light was helping them catch Kira. He certainly wasn't Kira.

Aizawa cleared his throat. "So, want to tell us what you two are discussing?"

L pointed at a screen, and Light's eyes were fixed on him.

"Um, is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?" Matsuda asked tentatively.

"Yeah," replied Aizawa, "Ryuzaki's ignoring us as usual."

"Um, –"

"Ryuzaki," Soichiro said loudly and more firm.

L's head turned.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell us what you're discussing?"

"Yes."

"And that is?"

"We were discussing the Kira case."

Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm taking a cigarette break."

The door clicked shut behind Aizawa, and Matsuda leaned back in his chair, exhaling loudly. "Man, it feels like we're in the dark here."

L tilted his head, eyes back on the screen. "We were analyzing potential changes in Kira's patterns," he explained. "Light had some insights that were quite valuable."

Light nodded, adding, "Kira's recent killings show a deviation from his usual methods. It's subtle, but it's there. We're trying to determine if it's intentional or if something else is influencing him."

Matsuda scratched his head. "A deviation? Like what?"

"There's a slight increase in the frequency of the killings, but also a change in the types of targets," Light explained. "Previously, Kira focused primarily on high-profile criminals, but now we're seeing more low-profile targets. It's as if Kira is broadening his scope."

"So, he's getting more reckless?" Mogi asked.

"Not necessarily," L interjected. "It could be a strategic move to create more chaos and fear. Or... As I suspected, this is not the original Kira."

Coffee only gives you more energy if you have energy to spare. Light reminded himself of this as he watched L drink another cup. If he wanted to at least try and maintain his health, he knew he needed to cut down, but every day it was becoming harder to focus. Kira slipped through every crack and trickled everywhere they couldn't reach. L was certain that the person who was killing now wasn't Kira. Most of this assumption was based on the fact that L thought he had Kira sitting right next to him, unable to make a move. Light chalked this down to stubbornness. Although, the patterns that Kira killed in were slightly different. This didn't mean exactly that it wasn't the same Kira, but it was certainly a noticeable point. They had been discussing it that morning, reviewing everything again, to check that there wasn't anything they'd missed. They could only come to the same conclusions as before, and grew more fatigued.

Watari had brought everyone more coffee. He'd briefly spoken with L about something Light couldn't completely understand. Whatever language they were speaking in, Light didn't know it.

What if you are Kira?

I'm not.

Although, wouldn't I have done what Kira had done, given the chance?

No, this time, L had to be wrong.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"The forensic analysis on the tapes sent to the TV station is complete," L announced, his voice calm yet commanding. "The DNA they found belonged to Takashi Akiyama, a criminal wanted for the suspected murder of his ex-girlfriend, Naomi Tanaka. His body was discovered in Ueno Park early this morning. The assumed time of death is around 3 AM."

"Kira controlled him before his death…" Matsuda speculated, his brows knitting together. "We can't even interrogate him now."

Mogi folded his arms, his expression grave. "Kira knows who we are. All of us, except L."

"At least, that's what Kira said," L replied.

Soichiro murmured thoughtfully, "That narrows things down a little. I'll get the names of everyone at the station who knew that it was us who stayed behind when the task force was formed."

"Yes, they will all need to be questioned," L agreed. "I also want someone to stay with Misa. She is to be watched constantly, and two of you will need to rotate day and night shifts for the next seven days. Her every move needs to be monitored closely."

"Count me out," Aizawa stated dryly, leaving Soichiro, Mogi, and Matsuda to decide.

"Um, I'll do it," Matsuda hesitated, glancing at Light. "Light, if that's okay?"

"It's fine," Light agreed quickly, masking his impatience.

"Then Matsuda will watch her during the day, and Mogi will monitor her at night." L gulped the last of his coffee, his hands trembling slightly. For a brief moment, his mask of composure slipped.

"Soichiro, I want you to assemble a small team of people you trust with your life in the police force to find any leaks. Someone might have divulged information to Kira. If what you said turns out to be true, it should be possible to find them. I'll also send some... specialists to accompany them and assist with the questioning. Aizawa, you can help him. If there's no one you trust, then I'd prefer you two handle it alone."

"Alright," Soichiro agreed. "There are a few people I can think of. I'll get started right away."

That leaves only me and L, Light thought.

L's gaze met Light's. "Light and I will track down the movements Takashi Akiyama made before his death. He must have had contact with the person acting as Kira. And, everyone, if anything unusual happens, I want either me or Watari to be informed immediately."

"Yes," they all agreed. Everyone except Light, who remained silent, his mind racing.

"You're first," Mogi told Matsuda, tapping his shoulder as they began to leave the room.

"Um, yeah."

"I'll rest until it's my turn," Mogi added.

"Watari will show you to another room where you can stay," L instructed.

"Let's have a short meeting," Soichiro said to Aizawa, "before we go to the station."

Aizawa nodded, avoiding Light's gaze all morning. A dark bruise marred his cheek, a deep purple that reminded Light of Monet's Blue Water Lilies, a masterpiece that hung in the Musée de l'Orangerie. Monet, known for his tempestuous nature, had destroyed many of his own works in fits of rage.

"My life has been nothing but a failure, and all that's left for me to do is to destroy my paintings before I disappear," Monet had once lamented.

Yet, the two hundred and fifty water lily paintings that remained were more than enough, Light had thought.

L and Light poured over files, security footage, and phone records, piecing together the final movements of Takashi Akiyama.

"According to the data we retrieved," L began, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the keyboard, "Akiyama met with someone at Shibuya Station three days ago, at around 12:20 AM. The timing is significant—just as the last trains were running."

Light leaned closer to the screen, his shoulder brushing against L's. "Who did he meet?"

L's eyes flickered to Light. "It was a woman. Another criminal, Aiko Nakamura. Her body was found the day after their meeting."

"Aiko Nakamura," Light murmured, recognition dawning. "She had just been released from prison the day before, on charges of embezzlement."

L's voice was quiet, contemplative. "Two criminals meeting in the dead of night. It can't be a coincidence. Kira orchestrated this."

They continued to scrutinize the footage. The grainy black-and-white images showed Akiyama and Aiko exchanging a brief conversation on the platform, their faces difficult to see in the contrast of such harsh artificial light and the night's darkness on the platform.

"We need to find out what they discussed," L stated, his voice cutting through the silence. "If Aiko was murdered immediately after, she had information that was critical."

Light nodded. "Perhaps there's something in her personal effects, something overlooked by the initial investigation. We should get access to her belongings."

Their research was later interrupted by a notification on L's laptop from Watari. 'I have access to Aiko Nakamura's personal effects. We can examine them now.'

When Watari arrived back, they moved to another room, where Aiko's belongings had been laid out meticulously.

"Here," Light said, holding up a small piece of paper. "It's a letter."

Aiko's letter was to a friend. A friend she was supposed to stay with after she was released from jail. It detailed her fear, her suspicion that she was being watched. She mentioned meeting someone who had promised her safety, someone who knew about Kira.

"It was a trap," Light whispered. "Kira used her."

L nodded, his expression grim. "We need to find out who promised her safety."

They chased leads that didn't end anywhere useful. Light watched as L swallowed three large pills, each motion of his throat drawing Light's intense scrutiny. He had slipped his watch back onto his wrist earlier that morning, the faint tick of the second hand annoyed him. The distrust in L's gaze had deepened as the afternoon gave way to evening.

L's frequent meetings with Watari and the silent presence of Mogi and Matsuda, ostensibly there to monitor Misa Amane, made it clear to Light that they were also keeping tabs on him whenever L was absent. Each time L left, Light felt a surge of determination to prove his innocence. He despised those who preyed on the innocent, but Kira's law-breaking ways meant he had to be stopped. If he truly were Kira, as L suspected, then he deserved the harshest punishment. Yet, Light refused to accept that possibility.

Light's mind raced, connecting dots faster than ever. The person acting as Kira had shifted tactics, using criminals to make and broadcast the tape. Why did everything that Kira did precisely line up with everything that happened to Light? Kira's killing pattern had even changed when Light was was placed under strict surveillance. The realization hit him like a punch to the stomach, draining the blood from his face. Had he grown complacent, starting to believe L's accusations?

The answer was that if it wasn't him then someone close to him had to be orchestrating this. Someone who knew his and the task force's every move. Probably someone who knew him from the very start.

The snap of the handcuff sounded and L rubbed his wrist, wincing as if the brief freedom had caused more discomfort than relief.

"Thank you, Mogi," L murmured. Mogi nodded and left to rest, knowing he had to stay up monitoring Misa that night. Light guessed it would be hard not to fall asleep.

Light hesitated. Should he share his theory about Kira with L? Would L even listen?

He imagined L's incredulous look. "So, Kira isn't you but someone who's trying hard to frame you? You want me to believe that the police officers who joined this case and risked their lives are now suspects? You are Kira, Light. You wouldn't care who you burned to impose your warped sense of justice."

There was no point. No evidence, just a hopeful guess.

"I've assembled a small team," Soichiro's voice came through the speaker on L's mobile phone. "There's six of us in total."

"Perfect," L replied. "I will send you additional support within one hour. They will provide further instructions."

"With all due respect, this isn't my first time questioning suspects," Soichiro reminded him.

"No," L agreed. "But this will not be a usual interrogation." He hung up without elaborating.

"If you plan to use torture, my father's never going to agree," Light said quietly.

"They will not use torture," L responded flatly. Light wasn't sure he believed him. He remembered how L had treated him and Misa.

"Is that really any different from what Kira's doing?" Light asked. "Breaking the law to get what you need?"

L shot him an annoyed look. "If you're comparing me to Kira, you're—"

"You're the one who keeps saying Kira's movements match mine. Guess who else matches my actions perfectly because we're chained together?"

"Are you accusing me of being Kira?"

"Why not? How do I know you're not framing me while you get away with murder?"

L's jaw clenched. "I know you don't mean that."

Light rolled his eyes. L was right. It was just a momentary satisfaction of getting under L's skin.

Could he have been set up from the beginning? It was the only alternative. Someone wanted him to look guilty, or he was guilty.

Aren't you ignoring the most obvious answer? You are Kira. Light pushed the thought aside.

"You need another cold compress," L told him. "That one's warm."

Light had forgotten the compress against his nose. Every thirty minutes, L reminded him, but he'd been gone the last time speaking with Watari for over an hour.

L frowned as he opened the freezer in the first aid cabinet. He pressed a fresh compress to Light's nose, his fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary. "Here."

"I can… do it," Light mumbled, trying to hide the flush creeping up his neck.

"Hm. But I enjoy how awkward it makes you look."

Light stared at him, taken aback. "Why do you always have to be so difficult?"

"It's part of my charm," L said with a slight smirk. His expression softened. "In truth, it's the first time anyone ever stood up for me," he confessed, his voice quieter now. "Thank you. But please, don't punch anyone on the task force again. It's not good for morale."

Light's gaze hardened. "I think the broadcast destroyed any team spirit we had this morning," he responded dryly.

"Kira would expect the task force to turn on me. But we don't have a choice. We have to work together."

Light hesitated, torn about whether to confide in L. He looked away. No, he decided. "If something happens to me… If I'm the first one Kira kills… there's something you should know."

L's eyes narrowed, curiosity and suspicion mingling in his gaze. "What is it?"

Light took a deep breath, the words sticking in his throat. "I'm… glad we met," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Since we did, I haven't felt alone."

Light's watch still ticked loudly, and time seemed to both speed up and slow down.

To hell with it. What did it matter? Seven days was a short time. What did he have to lose?

Nothing. Everything. Everything that mattered in those seven days until someone—maybe him, maybe L—died.

Light swallowed hard. Life, death, everything now was fifty-fifty. He moved quickly, closing the gap between them, and pressed his lips to L's in a brief kiss, his heart racing.

His nose numb again with cold, he walked away, but the chain was stuck. L didn't move.

"I don't know how to say it," Light said. "But maybe now you understand. And I won't… let Kira kill you."

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Kagome, Kagome

Kagome, kagome,

Kago no naka no tori wa,

Itsu itsu deyaru?

Yoake no ban ni,

Tsuru to kame ga subetta.

Who is behind you now?

L's eyes could barely stay open. The pounding in his head continued relentlessly. This wasn't good. He needed to sleep. Without it, he couldn't focus. Without it, his emotions and thinking were a mess. What were two sleepless nights when you only had five days left to live? At least Light was receiving some morphine-induced sleep.

"Before you chained yourself to me, I just assumed you never slept," Light had told him before.

"Why?" L had asked.

"Well, under your eyes..."

L had shifted on top of the bed covers.

"I've always had dark circles under them. I have a photograph of my father… he also had them. So, I assume they're genetic. Although all the screen time probably makes it worse..."

He had never talked to anyone about his parents before. Not even a fleeting fact like that.

"You only saw him… in a photograph?"

"Both of my parents," L said quietly. "They passed away when I was three. I barely remember them."

Swallowing, Light hesitated. The quietness of the bedroom seemed more fitting at this moment than his voice, so he murmured, "I'm sorry."

It was the first time that L had never felt alone. And it just so happened that the person who didn't make him feel alone was also his main Kira suspect. He couldn't allow himself to expose any vulnerability, and yet he did. Had he already given up?

"I believe…" L whispered, "Kira killed their murderer three months ago… But I didn't feel anything. I feel like I should have felt something."

He knew that he couldn't kill Light. Therefore, he couldn't arrest him. He could only try and forgive him in the time that he had left to suffer his defeat. L always did what he wanted. That was, after all, the main reason why he was a detective. He wanted to bring people to justice, and so he did. Only this time, he didn't want to. Someone else would need to finish what he couldn't. Until then…

He frowned. Perhaps he had gotten tired of lying. Perhaps he was tired of hiding. Perhaps Light Yagami was going to devour him, and maybe he already was, because he was the same kind of person as L. When you start lying because you don't trust anyone, you become one of the monsters that you despise. It happens slowly, but L wasn't sure if he felt human anymore. Cold calculations, logic, smoke and mirrors, aliases, and a single letter "L" had become a comfort. A prison. A safe house.

"I think…" Light had said, "it's hard to feel anything when you're caught in the middle of so much chaos. Sometimes, our feelings just get buried under the weight of it all…"

Feelings? They were something L had decided to shut off a long time ago. It was easier that way. It was always better. Better than thinking about all the people that you'd lost. Some of them, you were indirectly or teetering on directly responsible for.

"Is that why you became a detective?" Light had asked him quietly.

"I don't know…" L muttered. "Why did you want to join the police force?"

Light had turned on his side so that he could look at L more closely.

Perhaps to check if L was alright.

Perhaps to analyze him. Gain his trust. Lie to him.

"I want to protect people," he said. "Just like my father. I've watched him spend every day of his life doing that. Even at home, he rarely takes a break. The more criminals I can apprehend, the more people I would be keeping safe. Everyone deserves to live in a safe world."

Kira even sounds more noble than you, L brushed the voice away.

"It takes more than just one person to change the world," L reminded him. L reminded Kira.

"Isn't that why we're working together?" Light had reminded him in return.

Light stirred now in the bed, and L glanced over from his laptop. The heart monitor was steady, and three drips were connected to him to keep him stable.

Morphine not only helped you sleep, but it also made your judgment lapse. L had been startled yesterday, but remembering that after the fact had put Light's words into perspective. It could have been completely unintentional that he had told L he had fallen for him. It might not have even been accurate. It might have been a joke that came out too serious. It could have been more manipulation.

Aren't you ignoring the obvious?

L shuffled on the chair.

These thoughts weren't welcome when there were more serious things to discuss and think about. Things that would decide the fate of the task force. Of himself. Of the world.

Kira was a person just like him. And he would do anything to get his way.

But why would Kira try to kill himself or risk his life when he had the perfect opportunity to take L's? Both weren't logical. The most sound conclusion since yesterday's event was that Light was not Kira. Kira, or someone acting as Kira, had controlled the person that had tried to kill him. Could it be an elaborate ploy to gain L's trust? Possible. But what was the point in gaining L's trust when Kira clearly had the chance to murder him and dispose of L completely? That knife could have plunged into L's body instead had Kira manipulated the events more carefully.

If Light isn't Kira… Head swirling, L reached for the charging cable on the table. Even the world's greatest detective couldn't avoid a notification of 'Battery: 10%. If your laptop isn't plugged into a power source soon, it will shut down.' He plugged it into the socket in the wall.

Either way, he'd known for a while that he wouldn't survive the Kira case. The new broadcast had only given him a countdown in real time, a new convenience for him to plan his final days.

Can't you just catch Kira sooner?

And where is he?

Closer than you think.

L itched at his sleeve.

"Don't tell anyone else that Light survived," L had instructed both Soichiro and Watari. "Except for the three of us, everyone else must believe that he died."

Soichiro's mouth had opened on the other end of the phone line. "But… Sachiko…?"

"Even his mother," L told him. "The hospital reports have been changed, and the doctors taking care of Light have been paid off. Not a murmur that he is alive. Understood?"

"Ryuzaki, unless my wife herself is a suspect, then there is no reason to -"

"-Thank you for your cooperation."

The line went dead.

With shaking hands, Soichiro stared at his cell phone. The call had ended.

"If Light isn't Kira," L had explained to him later, "then it's better if the real Kira thinks that he's dead. After all, why would Kira kill a dead person? If you want to save your son, then this gives him, and perhaps only him, a chance to survive whatever Kira chooses to do next. He needs to disappear. And, because of this, we have an advantage. An invisible piece that we can move across the board."

"You're doing this… to keep him safe…"

"Yes."

"Does this mean you no longer suspect him?"

"I want to prepare for every possibility."

Sachiko had almost drowned in tears on the living room floor. Soichiro had never heard such a painful sound escape her lips as he heard that evening. He held her. His face was twisted with his own guilt. He never liked to lie, and this was the cruelest lie that he could have ever given his wife. If she found out the truth later, that Light had survived, he didn't know if she would ever forgive him.

A coffee shop near Shibuya Station, the one on the corner of Shibuya and Inokashira. L had found it. He'd reviewed the surveillance footage of the night that Aiko had made contact with someone who claimed that they were close to Kira. The footage was grainy, but he was able to make some sort of profile.

A man. With a slightly rugged demeanor. A scarf and a coat. Dark hair and glasses that glare in the footage. He was careful not to show his face and had the hood of his coat drawn up. He was seated at a small table at the back of the cafe. He seemed relaxed but hadn't interacted with any other customers. He had occasionally glanced around the cafe. When he and Aiko met, their exchange had been brief. 6.43 minutes, to be exact. Aiko had left, and she had been clutching something that looked like an A4 folder under her arm. By the time she appeared in the footage at Shibuya station, it looked like she had folded it over, then passed it to Takashi Akiyama. She boarded the last train to Shinjuku via the JR Yamanote Line at 12:35 am.

L tried to enhance the image of the man that Aiko had met with, but it seemed that he knew exactly how to avoid being identified by a CCTV camera. Frustrated, L snapped the laptop shut and asked Watari to find every available footage of this man—public and private—and trace back every single one of his footsteps.

He decided not to bother Light with the details until he woke up again. Light slowly opened his eyes.

"I need to work."

"You need to rest."

"You can't. Rest."

"Give me a computer."

"No," L said it firmly. Maybe too firmly. "Kira doesn't know you survived. I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want you to do anything."

Light stared at him. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying pretend to be dead and recover."

Light opened his mouth, then closed it. It was hard to think with pain medication clouding his mind. He tried to grasp onto logical thought. He started removing the drips. Pain would return, but at least his mind would be clear. Feeling L's hand grip his arm, he hesitated.

"Let go of me."

"Light, calm down."

"How many days have passed?"

"Since the broadcast? Two."

"There are five more, and you expect me to just sit here?"

"Lie there. That's exactly what you'll do."

If Light had more energy, he would have grabbed L's shirt and shoved him. "I'm not just going to sit here and wait for Kira to murder everyone."

"Lie." L repeated, as if that was a key point. "I don't think I need to tell you that you could reopen the wound if you move, or your lung could collapse. You also have internal bleeding. The fluids in your arm are regulating your blood pressure."

After fixing the drips, L stared hard at him. "With the exception of Watari and Soichiro Yagami, no one else knows you survived. Unless you also want to defy your father and destroy all of his work, and all the work we've done so far to catch Kira, I suggest you listen."

"Only Watari and my father know?" Light repeated, alarm kicking in.

"Yes."

"You mean they're the only ones who know from the task force?"

"I mean they are the only ones who know," L repeated, his tone steely. "If Kira thinks he's already killed you, he won't try to kill you again. Everyone else is mourning you. So if you die now, you'll never get the chance to punch me for it or tell them you're still alive."

Staring at him, Light breathed, "My family...?"

"Yes," L confirmed the unfinished question. My family thinks I'm dead too?

Closing his eyes, Light took in a shaky, unsteady breath. His eyes barely wanted to move, but he forced them open again after some time, after he felt L move to the bed beside him. L propped his laptop up on his knees, at an angle that Light could see while lying down.

Being next to each other on the bed had become so normal, but the closeness still brought its own conflicts. If he tried to grasp at something real, would he be able to hold onto it? If he could, would he see it in full color, or would it turn into grey ash betrayal in his hands, falling through his fingers?

L's shoulder was soon the resting place for Light's head. His auburn hair was a mess, his lips dry and slightly cracked, and L hesitated.

"That means you still have to be alive too," Light said quietly. "For when I get angry at you about this."

Expression wavering between a smile and a frown, L moved some of his hair aside. "Can you see?"

"Yeah..."

Crawling all over his skin and shadowing every one of Light's moves was doubt. Light Yagami might still be Kira. L had believed it for so long, the evidence so meticulously leading to him that it was almost impossible to dismiss. The thought of Light as Kira had become ingrained in every atom of him.

L leaned back slightly, his dark eyes scrutinizing Light. "There's also something else I've been meaning to ask you about Misa Amane." He hesitated. "Why did you start dating her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Light sighed. "We just have so much in common."

"Meaning?"

"Ryuzaki, it's a joke."

"Hm."

Frowning, L opened the file he'd created to track what had been happening since Kira's countdown. It contained a mix of voice and text notes, drawings, dates, and snippets of evidence. Perhaps if he were more organized, he could make reports, but such things were usually a waste of time and effort and an insult to human intellect.

"Misa was more like a stalker who wouldn't leave me alone," Light admitted slowly. "It was getting awkward, and she kept showing up everywhere. At first, I thought if I agreed to date her, she might lose interest eventually. Maybe if I was a bad boyfriend, she'd get bored and move on."

"But that didn't happen," L noted.

"No," Light admitted, frustration evident in his voice. "It only got worse. She became more obsessed, more clingy. It wasn't the first time a girl was obsessed with me, but Misa was different. It was weird, even by usual standards."

"Weird how?"

"She was relentless. Her devotion was almost... fanatical. No matter how distant I tried to be, she just latched on tighter," Light explained, his brow furrowing as he remembered. "It was like nothing I did could push her away."

L considered this. "And you never suspected she might be connected to Kira in some way?"

"Why would I have even considered that? I had no idea she might be involved in something bigger."

"Yet her actions and proximity to you can't be ignored," L said thoughtfully. "If she was manipulated by Kira, it would explain her erratic behavior and unwavering devotion."

"That's a disturbing thought," Light murmured. "To think someone could be used so easily..."

Light's expression became troubled, and silence fell between them. His eyes drooped, the exhaustion and medication trying to pull him back towards sleep. Light refused. L watched him for a moment, then turned his attention back to his laptop, the glow of the screen reflecting in his dark eyes.

"You're also the one who told me to stay close to her," Light reminded him after a while. "Maybe what I did before wasn't the right choice. But I have no interest in her."

Being human came with a heaviness. A heaviness that could sometimes crush you. That heaviness had the power to destroy you in moments or years.

"If we only have five days, I'm just going to say it plainly," Light told him. "You're the person I'm interested in. If I weren't a guy... or your main Kira suspect, I probably would have told you that before. Before," wincing slightly, Light tried to shift, "you chained yourself to me. Although... you wouldn't have chained yourself to me if I weren't your suspect. I couldn't exactly tell you, after all, you'd feel uncomfortable sharing such close space with me. So, I didn't say anything. Even I started to doubt if I wasn't Kira. I couldn't jeopardize the whole investigation for something so irrelevant to the case. If I was Kira, I deserved to be brought to justice. If I wasn't... I'm not... I mean," Biting down, Light struggled with his thoughts. L knew he probably wanted to pull the morphine out again, so his gaze flicked back to Light to make sure he wasn't getting any ideas. Their gazes met.

L hesitated, his mind racing. "It's… conflicting," he admitted quietly. "I've spent so long believing you're Kira that it's difficult to even consider that you're not."

Light's eyes searched L's face, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. "You still think I'm Kira?"

"I don't know," L confessed, his voice barely a whisper. "I want to believe you're not. But…"

"But what?"

"But it's hard to ignore the evidence... it all fits."

There was a moment of heavy silence. "Do you think you'll ever be able to trust me?" he asked softly.

"I don't know,"

"Then after we catch Kira," Light swallowed, "and if both of us are still alive, you really will keep yourself chained to me, huh?"

L let out a breath of amusement. Barely.

If we're both still alive. Light had just risked his own life to save his, and L still couldn't believe that he wasn't Kira? L knew his own stubborness was deep, but even he had to admit it wasn't logical. More than that, Light had also been burying what L hadn't wanted to admit the whole time. The moment L had met Light Yagami, was the moment that he also knew that he would lose.

But before he could respond, his phone buzzed on the bedside table. Glancing at it, he saw a new message from Watari.

'Another broadcast.'

L's eyes widened as he read the message. The TV mounted on the wall flickered to life. His finger hovered over the 'Power on' button on the remote, and the familiar darkened logo of Kira's broadcast appeared on the screen in the corner of the windowless room.

The screen displayed a shadowy figure shrouded in darkness, with only a distorted voice emanating from the speaker.

"Good evening," the voice echoed coldly through the room. "I am Kira, and I am here to deliver a message. As you all know, the world is plagued by crime and corruption. Justice has become a farce, manipulated by those in power."

L's pulse quickened.

"Tonight, I am making a statement," the person claiming to be Kira continued. "Now that the previous Kira is gone, I want to tell you that it is not merely enough to end lives. I am here to disrupt the very foundation of your...so-called justice system. You have placed witnesses and informants on pedestals, believing they are untouchable. I will show you the fragility of your system."

The broadcast cut to a live feed of a courtroom. The camera zoomed in on a terrified witness sitting on the stand, their face pale and eyes wide with fear. The witness glanced around nervously, clearly sensing the danger.

The person's voice resumed, tinged with a menacing edge. "This is the price of defiance. If you dare to challenge me, if you dare to believe that you are safe, remember this moment. You are not."

The screen cut to a close-up of the witness, who was visibly trembling. A piece of paper was held up to the camera, on which was scrawled a message:

'Kira sees all. You still have 5 days.'

The screen went black, and the broadcast ended with a flicker.

L's mind raced. Kira's message was clear: he wasn't just killing anymore—he was actively sabotaging the justice system, targeting witnesses to create chaos and fear. This new strategy was a direct challenge to the integrity of the legal system and a blatant display of power.

"Now that the previous Kira is gone."

Everyone thinks Light Yagami is dead.

L's face went pale. He glanced back at Light. Confusion was etched onto every part of Light's face. He had already made the connection too. Of course he had.

"Ryuzaki - ! L, I'm not - !"

L slid off the bed. He didn't look at Light, and he disconnected the laptop cable from the wall.

As he was at the door, he felt a weak hand on his shoulder, and he jerked back.

"Light Yagami, do not come near me," he warned.

Clutching at his side, Light felt the pain surging through him. It didn't matter. What mattered more was that L paid attention to him right now.

The things keeping him stable lay on the floor somewhere behind him. But he held L and forced him to look at him. His grip was weak, strong, urgent.

"I think it's someone on the task force," Light told him. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. That's why I didn't tell you before. I think I've been set up. From the start, someone's made me look like a suspect. Someone with inside information. Someone who knew me before. Someone who knew I'd fit the profile perfectly." He yelled desperately. "You're right, everything matches up. Even I'm not going to admit that it doesn't. But I am not Kira!"

L shook him off.

'Check Yagami', L messaged to Watari as he left the room.

Chapter Text

The door closed, and L stood on the other side. He could hear what was probably Light's arm and head land on the inside. His breathing was steady. Clenching his jaw, L told himself to walk away.

Watari's message made his phone vibrate, and he realized that Light would have heard it.

'Light?'

He was verifying which "Yagami" L had been talking about.

'Yes.' L hastily wrote back. Swallowing, he rested his head against the wall.

Maybe Light hadn't heard the vibration. He was quiet. Breathing, but quiet on the other side of the door.

Light had just saved his life, and this was how L was speaking with him?

No, hadn't Kira just confirmed that he thought the original Kira had died, at the same time Light was publicly announced dead?

His hand reached out for the door, and he slowly opened it. As he did, Light had to steady himself on L as the door slipped away.

Both were silent as L placed a shoulder under the arm that wasn't on the side of the wound, and he guided Light back to the bed. He fixed everything, pulled the cover back over Light, and stared at the wall.

"Light…" he said after a while. Light's eyes were red, and only then did L realize he'd been crying.

Crying. Light Yagami was…

"Why?" L asked him.

"I don't know…" Light choked. "Fuck."

L stared.

Closing his eyes, Light seemed like he was trying to center himself. He was failing. He was spiraling.

L grabbed his hand.

"Light…"

Watari was in the room.

"A panic attack," he told L. But L already knew. He knew, but he didn't believe it. His eyes were wide as Watari moved and checked his vitals, ensuring the wound hadn't re-opened.

Light was fine, Watari said. "What happened?"

"An argument…"

"He needs to rest," Watari reminded L. "Now is not the time for arguments, Ryuzaki."

Despite being scolded, L only gave a faint nod.

"I'll watch over him for a while. Right now, the task force expects you."

Swallowing, L left.

"A new Kira," Soichiro Yagami said, his voice flat and empty. "One that's targeting not only criminals but the justice system itself…"

His face was grave. And so was L's. They both needed to be.

But neither of them hardly needed to act.

The coffee in front of L had grown cold. He'd taken some more pills for the incessant pounding in his brain.

"Um, Ryuzaki—?"

Matsuda.

"Yes?" L replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course…" his voice trailed off, and even Matsuda knew it was obvious that he wasn't. After all, he thought they had just lost Light. The task force seemed empty without Light there, and although L knew he was downstairs in the perfectly capable hands of Watari, it didn't feel right. Perhaps he wouldn't feel right until Light was up and walking and talking and—

"I guess… you were the closest to Light," Matsuda said quietly. "Except, for—" he waved at the chief. "It feels… weird without him here."

But even Matsuda said it felt weird. Perhaps what L felt didn't mean anything at all.

"We can only keep moving forward," said L in an empty tone. "There are still our own lives that we need to protect, and the rest of the world is still waiting for us to capture Kira."

"Didn't you hear the news?" Aizawa scoffed dryly. "The previous Kira is already gone. A new Kira took his place. So, how many Kiras are there? And how many do we have to find?"

"Maybe this is impossible," Mogi agreed.

"Are you suggesting we cooperate and give Kira whatever he wants?"

"I'm saying it might be too late," barked Aizawa. "We already gave our lives to this case. Now it seems we were never going to find Kira. Even Light—" stopping himself, he glanced at Soichiro. "Chief, the only person I'm following from now on is you."

"Enough," Soichiro stated firmly, wearily. "Listen to what Ryuzaki has to say. He is still the head of this investigation."

"Light died protecting this guy—!"

"So don't disrespect my son." The chief shot back at him. "Ryuzaki is still the head of this investigation and whatever he says, we are going to do. No matter what it takes. Do I make myself clear?"

"He was the one who kept on saying that Light was Kira!" Aizawa stood up. "If Light was killed by Kira then what does that mean? This guy has no idea what he's talking about!"

"In every investigation, the original suspect doesn't always turn out to be the perpetrator of the crime."

"No, but at least there are always other suspects. From the start, Ryuzaki has given us nothing. All we've been doing is chasing our damn tails."

"Aizawa—!"

"Aizawa is right," L stated suddenly, quietly. "If Light was killed by Kira, then I would have indeed failed to find Kira. However," his heart quickened, but his unreadable face stayed intact. "I still do believe that Light was the original Kira. He was only killed off by another. While it appeared that he tried to save my life, we also know that Kira can manipulate people before their death. The Kira we saw on the broadcast today most likely betrayed him and took his place."

The lie sat stale on his tongue.

The look Aizawa gave him was one of revulsion.

He stormed out of the room, and the four of them were left.

Mogi and Matsuda nervously exchanged glances.

"With all due respect," Soichiro stood, "I'm going to ask to leave this conversation, too. I can't… take it at the moment."

L nodded.

He's playing his part well.

Better than expected.

Of course, he can at least follow instructions.

"Mogi and Matsuda…" L said carefully. "For now, there are no more leads connecting Aiko Nakamura or Takashi Akiyama to Kira. Light was... looking into an anomaly in Kira's killing patterns. He believed they were related to a company, but he hadn't quite pieced it together. You can both stop your surveillance of Misa Amane and that task will be delegated to someone else in the meantime. I will send you his file, and you can continue looking at it together."

Solemnly, Matsuda nodded. Mogi shifted.

"Thank you…"

"Who are you?" Misa breathed. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face red. She had been crying ever since Matsuda had told her the news.

Light.

Her Light.

Was…

Dead.

"I'm Wedy. Mind if I take a seat?"

Misa watched the strange woman walk into the room she was kept in.

"Where's Mogi?" she asked, "Don't tell me he also—?"

"It's a pleasure to tell you that Mogi is alive." Wedy lit up a cigarette and stared at her hard for a long time. Her golden honey eyes peered out from behind dark sunglasses. "Misa Amane." She said slowly. "I imagined a girl as strong as you would already be planning revenge for her lover. Don't tell me you're going to give up that easily?"

Her words caught Misa off-guard. "What—what do you even know about me?" she screamed. "Who are you? Who do you think you are to say that to me? Have you ever lost someone you love? Have you? Revenge? You want revenge?" Misa picked up the closest object—a glass—and threw it at her. "I'll start with you first. How dare you talk about Light like that and how dare you talk about me like that. Get out of here before I kill you!"

"My, my," tutted Wedy. "I'd advise you not to say such things when you're a Kira suspect. It doesn't look too good now, does it?"

Misa threw something else in the direction of the sofa. And another and another. Wedy calmly smoked as Misa finally crumpled on the floor, sobbing. "He can't be dead…"

"These are the first two stages of grief," Wedy informed her. "They're denial and anger and if you survive them things only get worse before they get better. They're normal. But try not to say anything that might incriminate you. You'll regret it later. Trust me, I should know." She let out a puff of smoke gracefully from between her red lips. "Tell me Miss Amane, why did you love this man so much?"

Misa's shoulders shook. "I still love him," she corrected. "He's… everything to me."

"But why?"

"Why?"

"What did you love about him?" Wedy repeated. She eyed Misa like a hunter eyeing a wounded deer. After a while, she hummed. "See, you can't even tell me, can you? That's not a good look. Let me tell you something about love," she exhaled deeply, and a hint of amusement crossed her face. "I've been in love three times. Yes, the third is supposed to be the charm, isn't it? One," she put up a finger, "kissed me then left me to die. The next," another finger, "told me I was the only one but had a wife in another country, and the third," she put up her last finger, and Misa noticed that it momentarily trembled, "hired an assassin to kill me so that he wouldn't get caught stealing something that would land him in prison. Wasn't it lucky for me that the assassin was an undercover CIA agent and my life was spared? On paper, I died that day, but it was the day I gained my freedom. Miss Amane, dear, your life is everything you have. If that man truly loved you, he would want you to cherish it. And if he didn't," Wedy shrugged, "he wasn't worth it."

She stubbed out her cigarette into a piece of broken glass that had smashed onto the table. "So get your revenge, cherish your life, and keep going. Easier said than done, isn't it? You think I won't understand what you're going through, don't you? How could I? I could never understand what Light Yagami was to you. Tell me then, why are there so many love songs sung about the same kind of heartbreak? Everyone hurts when their heart is broken." She waved a hand at the sofa. "Take a seat."

Body shaking and her arms folded over her chest, Misa forced herself to stand up. She could barely walk and she collapsed next to Wedy, where she began crying uncontrollably.

Rubbing her back, Wedy let her cry. She inspected her manicured fingers as she did.

"Light said… something interesting," L said carefully. He and Soichiro were alone. "He said," pausing, L put his hands in his jean pockets and walked across the room, "that he suspected someone from the Kira task force had set him up from the beginning."

"…What?" Soichiro breathed.

"Let's entertain this theory for a moment."

"But how would it even be possible? Didn't you check at the start of the investigation if any one of us could be Kira?"

"Yes," L stated. "However, there are ways… to cheat such tests. It's possible that I underestimated someone. Unlikely, but… possible."

L gave him a long gaze.

"I suppose you can guess what I'm going to ask you next."

"You're going to ask me who I think it could be." In disbelief, Soichiro shook his head. "Why would Light think that?"

"He believes someone set him up from the start. Someone wanted it to look like him. He fit the profile. He was close, but not too close. He was a distraction, so to speak. That same person has access to information about what's happening in the task force. That's what he believes."

"That's…"

"You don't have to tell me right at this moment. But if you think of a motive or have a feeling about who it may be, even if you can't back it up with evidence, I want you to tell me. Of course, it may be that it's no one from the task force. It was something Light said offhandedly. I trust your judgment."

Soichiro nodded.

"I understand," he said quietly.

During one of those nights before, when L and Light had been alone, L sat on the edge of the bed, his posture as always, hunched and awkward, while Light sat across from him, chained together, their wrists bound by the steel links.

Light sighed, a sound filled with both resignation and acceptance. "I used to dream of making a difference in the world. But now... now I just feel trapped."

There was a moment of silence.

Light looked down at their joined wrists, the chain cold against his skin. "Ryuzaki, do you ever doubt yourself? Do you ever wonder if you're wrong?"

L's grip tightened on the sheets slightly. "No."

The room seemed to grow quieter.

"Ryuzaki," Light said softly, breaking the silence. L's gaze lingered on Light's face, the flickering shadows highlighting the contours of his features. Light, noticing L's intense stare, was used to being scrutinized, but this was different. It made him feel exposed. He found himself leaning in slightly, as if to bridge the invisible gap between them.

"Do you ever think..." Light whispered, his voice almost a plea. "You could be wrong about me?"

L's breath caught, the question hanging in the air like a fragile promise. "Perhaps," he replied slowly. "If there was sufficient evidence to prove your innocence."

"I'm not Kira," Light told him. "So one day, there will be. I just wonder… if you'll ever stop looking at me and seeing Kira."

Chapter Text

Watari had given Light a pen and a notebook but refused to give him a computer, insisting he needed to rest. Light spent the night writing down everything he remembered from the case, every single detail. His scrawl on the page was barely recognizable compared to the neat way he usually wrote. Ironically, although he was left-handed, he had trained himself since childhood to use his right hand, as instructed by his teachers. Using his right hand now caused him pain, while the left one hurt less. The rules of perfect strokes that applied to his right hand didn't apply to the left, which formed words abstractly. He could read what was there, but he doubted anyone else could. A mix of English and Japanese, depending on which language he associated more with the case (an American criminal? English) filled the pages.

Something was missing amidst all this. Kira was present in all these memories and moments that snaked through his brain and onto the paper, but where? One mistake was all it took to give themselves away. Could anyone from the task force be smart enough to avoid L's suspicion all this time? And what did they plan now that Light was 'dead'? Most likely, they would start pinning the crimes on someone else, and this new Kira would be exactly the same as the old one—a puppeteer that no one would suspect.

They'd choose someone farther away this time… I was a trial. Too close. Kira wouldn't make that same mistake again. But, who they chose was irrelevant.

He'd worked with Matsuda, Mogi, and Aizawa before. He'd helped the Tokyo police solve cases in the past. Of course, it wasn't ever official. Had anyone stood out…?

As L said, the evidence points to me being Kira.

Spinning the pen impatiently in his hand, Light glanced up when he heard the door click open.

L glanced at the clock beside Light's bed before looking at him. The chain on Light's wrist had been removed, as he had asked Watari to do.

"It's 4 a.m.," L said.

"Then why are you still awake?"

L moved slowly. "I was helping Matsuda and Mogi with something. We'll continue tomorrow." He stopped beside Light and glanced down.

"I see you managed to convince Watari to give you a notebook."

"Well, he wouldn't give me anything else." Light looked at him defiantly. "We have four days now. You can't expect me to just sit here."

Tilting his head to the side, L stared at the notebook.

"You can write with both hands." Something was ticking in L's mind. He was probably trying to determine if this was in any way incriminating.

"Actually, I'm left-handed. I just started using my right hand because I needed to."

"It's like the writing belongs to a different person…" L trailed off. "If you were to give this to a handwriting analyst, they wouldn't believe that you had written both."

Light raised an eyebrow. "Maybe there are some things even you didn't know about me?"

L glanced at Light. Frowning, he reached behind him and pulled the chair he'd been sitting on before closer to the bed. "Not that you asked, but Misa is also in a bad state."

Misa…

Light realized that he'd barely thought of her. Well, he had, just in the context of putting all the evidence together on the pages. Not out of any concern about how she was now.

"I brought someone else in to console her while Matsuda and Mogi continue the investigation. Wedy. She's a surveillance expert. She's also trying to prod Misa for information. So far, she hasn't gotten anything, but Misa isn't really in a mood to talk."

"She? How do you know her?"

L trusts a stranger—a woman—that much?

"A former… acquaintance," L answered without really answering, "who also happens to look like a model straight from a magazine and has a way with words, so Misa may feel more comfortable talking with her than Matsuda or Mogi. Particularly Matsuda. He's always enamored with Misa Misa. I think sometimes it even makes her uncomfortable. Although who can blame him? Even before this case, I was a fan of hers."

Light frowned.

Someone who would just come, as soon as L requested that he needed her help?

"Whatever you are thinking, Light," L informed him. "I should let you know that your suddenly tense expression is conveying jealousy. Would I be correct?"

"If you're attracted to Misa or that woman, just say it directly."

"I'm not."

Light froze.

"But interestingly," L's lips pulled up at the corners, "you assumed that I was talking of jealousy about my own attraction, rather than Matsuda's to Misa."

"I've already told you," said Light slowly, "the person I'm interested in is you. If you don't believe me and want to continue testing me, go ahead. Although the more you test me, the more inclined I am to believe that it's because it's important to you. This doesn't have anything to do with the Kira case, L…"

Light's stare met L's gaze.

"No," L agreed at length. "It's a personal matter."

Four days was a short time. It was shorter when you could see the minutes passing by red on a digital clock. L could see the red digits reflecting in Light's brown eyes.

He swallowed.

"There's something you should know…"

How time seemed to go so incredibly fast and slow. It dragged. Clunked. Swayed side to side and fell into the moment, slumped and choked. If L could make more of it, he could. If L could make more of the nights that he and Light had shared, simply talking in the darkness, he would.

"My name…" he took the pen from Light and wrote it on the page.

Light's brow furrowed. "Are you… telling me your name because you want to, or because you still think that I'm Kira?"

"If you're Kira or not," L admitted quietly, "I've already lost."

Light didn't look at the page. He closed the notebook and reached his left hand out, hooking a finger on L's shirt. "L," he said. "In the next four days, I'm the only person you're allowed to try giving your name to."

He pulled on L's shirt. Without much strength, but L obliged because if he didn't Light would strain himself and stubbornness had its boundaries. That boundary was clear when denial was shattered by Light's lips on his and they were inhaling the same air.

"Promise me," Light almost begged him. He pressed the closed notebook to L's chest. "And you'll tell me your name after we catch Kira."

He didn't even try to look at it…

Swallowing, L took the notebook back.

The room had no windows and it was impossible to tell if it was later in the morning or another time of the day. L's eyes opened as he heard his phone buzzing in his pocket. He reached for it, his other hand firm in Light's grip on the bed.

'They're waiting' was Watari's message.

L quietly groaned. 7:00 a.m. He'd barely slept three hours. He separated his fingers from Light's, doing his best not to wake him. Light didn't stir.

He slipped out of the room.

L shuffled into the elevator. The notebook Light had been writing in the night before was tucked under his arm. He'd also messaged Watari telling him to give Light a computer, as he kept asking. At least he'd had a short time to rest since the incident. Not that Light was exactly resting, anyway…

L took the notebook straight to Watari's room, then continued shuffling into the room where the task force usually assembled.

"Morning…" he mumbled. He must have looked worse than usual, because everyone was staring at him like he suddenly needed sympathy.

"Sleep well?" he asked everyone.

Although, no one there exactly looked well-rested either.

"I think I slept for twenty minutes," Matsuda said sluggishly. He held up a steaming mug of coffee. "This is keeping my eyes open."

"A miracle of chemistry in a cup." L agreed. He paused. "Where's Mogi?"

Soichiro pushed his glasses up. "He didn't hear his alarm. He apologized and said he would be another ten minutes. Although, that was seventeen minutes ago."

"Oh." Sitting on the chair, L pulled a steaming cup of coffee from the table closer to him. "Traffic is bad this time of morning."

"As always." Matsuda sighed. "I got a taxi. I didn't really trust myself to drive. I think I would have fallen asleep."

Aizawa pinched his eyelids. "I suppose we're picking up from where we left off yesterday?"

"Yes." L agreed. "Matsuda and Mogi will resume their research about the Yotsuba Corporation. Ah yes, after you both left, I was able to narrow it down." His teaspoon clinked on the side of his mug as they both audibly startled. "Soichiro and Aizawa, you never found any leaks from the police station, so I want you both to join Matsuda and Mogi now. All of us will work on it together."

"Yotsuba…?" Soichiro repeated. "You mean, someone from within that company is now killing people? They are now acting as Kira?"

"That's right. And key point - acting as Kira. The first Kira is already gone. Rather, someone at Yotsuba was probably being used as Kira's puppet. And perhaps still is as the next Kira's too. Ah - Mogi."

If we're running on the assumption that Light was Kira, and if he wasn't, then it's still the same Kira pulling the strings.

"Sorry," Mogi apologized. "Car trouble."

"I thought Soichiro said your alarm didn't sound?"

"That too."

Mogi hurried in and sat down. "What did I miss?"

"Everyone else will fill you in." L placed his cup down. "I need to speak with Watari."

"He didn't look at it?"

"I don't believe so," L told Watari. "At least, while I was awake, he didn't. I want you to check the surveillance footage from last night."

"You think he may have looked at the notebook while you were asleep?"

The notebook Light had been writing in was held firmly in Watari's white-gloved hand. The notebook L had written his name in.

L gave a small nod.

"Hm," Watari turned back around. "I'll check it."

"Thank you."

L propped himself against the wall of Watari's room. There was no other chair, and he wondered for a moment if he should sit on the floor. His whole body felt like it was slightly shaking.

"May I ask?" Watari said after some time. "Is it work?"

L glanced at him, then at the footage of him and Light next to each other on the bed.

"Personal," L mumbled.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's a terrible idea," L nodded. "Has he tried to look at it?"

"No."

"Please watch it carefully and let me know if he does."

"Of course, Ryuzaki. And the book?"

"Burn the page with my name. Keep the rest."

"Understood."

Chapter Text

Watari turned in his chair as L entered the room the next morning. L stood silently for a moment, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"He didn't look at the notebook," Watari said gently. "Light barely moved the entire night."

"Are you certain?" L asked, his voice betraying a hint of concern.

"Yes," Watari confirmed. "He was unusually still, probably because of the pain."

L stood there, deep in thought, his eyes distant. "I'd like to review the notebook. I assume you've made a copy?"

Watari nodded and handed the notebook to L. "Most of it was unreadable, even the English... Perhaps you'll understand it better."

L took the book and flipped through the pages, frowning as he scanned the content. He paused on a page towards the front.

"It seems he can also draw quite well," Watari remarked. "On his school reports, art was the subject where Light scored the lowest, though it was still an A-."

"Light is left-handed," L noted quietly. "He was using his non-dominant hand."

"Hm," Watari hummed in acknowledgment.

L remained silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought. "Ryuzaki?" Watari prompted.

There was no immediate response. L stood, seemingly frozen in contemplation.

"Ryuzaki? Is something wrong?" Watari asked again, his voice laced with concern.

Slowly, L looked up. "There was only one FBI agent following Light at the start of the investigation. Raye Penber..."

"Yes," Watari confirmed.

L's eyes were wide as he turned the page around. "Light wrote that there were two people tailing him. One matches Penber's description. Light assumes the other is Dale DePaul, as he matches the closest physical description of the FBI agents in our files. Perhaps he thought I was giving him false information and only told him that one followed him due to my suspicions of him..."

"But Dale DePaul really was only assigned to follow Matsuda and his family," Watari pointed out.

Slowly, L nodded. "And he did. The second person Light wrote about wasn't one of our agents."

"Then who was it?" Watari asked.

L snapped the book shut.

The notebook was thrust towards Light, startling him. His eyes dropped to the page he'd written the previous night.

"Who else could it have been? Another agent you sent?" Light asked, frustration edging his voice.

"No, there were no additional agents tailing you at the start of the investigation," L said firmly. "This is not one of the twelve FBI agents that I sent."

Light's eyes met L's. "You're suggesting someone else was following me, and you don't know who it was?"

L's silence was answer enough, his reluctance palpable.

"What do you remember about this person?" L pressed, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Ah—" Light hesitated.

"Height, build, age, clothes, ethnicity, tattoos, hair color?" L continued urgently.

Light placed a hand on L's shoulder. "I won't remember everything if you keep interrogating me like this."

L's intense gaze seemed to pierce through him. Light cleared his throat, trying to steady his voice. "Just... give me a moment."

Light refocused on the notebook. "It's hard to remember exactly..." He tapped a finger on the page. "At first, I only noticed one guy. Then I realized there was another, taller. He was more skilled at following someone, which is why it took me longer to notice him. He didn't follow me for long. I assumed he moved on to someone else after a while. After all, I guessed my father was investigating the Kira case, and all of the families were being put under surveillance either because L—I mean, you—were being cautious or because Kira had inside information. In the end, it was just who I later found out from the files was Raye Penber watching me until... Kira eliminated them all."

L's gaze remained fixed on the page. "Could you try to draw the other person?"

Light shrugged, his shoulders tight. "There's not much to draw. He stayed covered from head to toe."

Taking the pen from L's hand, Light began to sketch, his movements deliberate but cautious.

"Also..." he hesitated. "There is something I never told you about. I happened to meet someone while bringing clothes to my father at the beginning of the case. He'd been pulling all-nighters, and my mom asked me to take fresh clothes to him," Light said, his tone shifting to wariness. "The person I met happened to be Naomi Misora."

"You never mentioned this before," L remarked.

"It was too risky. I worried it would incriminate me," Light admitted.

"Why?"

"I saw Misora inside the police station. She was telling the officers there that she wanted to speak with L and said she'd worked on a case with you. I offered to pass her details on to my father because I was sure, at that time, he was already working on the Kira case. She said she had vital information, so I thought I could help. The officers at the desk probably would have brushed her off. But she walked off when we were outside, saying she suddenly had something to do." Light's voice dropped. "Misora killed herself shortly after that conversation with me. The same day."

"August 27 at 2:30 PM."

"Yeah... It was after that event that I never saw the other guy tailing me again. Maybe... it was just a coincidence."

Light turned the notepad around, showing the sketch.

"Here."

L rested his head on his knees, scrutinizing the drawing.

"Are you sure it wasn't anyone from the FBI?" Light asked.

"I'm certain." L's gaze remained on the sketch. "Naomi Misora was the third victim of Kira who wasn't a criminal. She was an exceptional agent," he said quietly. "She gave you her real name?"

Naomi Misora. A former FBI agent who later became engaged to Raye Penber and retired early. She'd helped L on a high-profile serial killer case. She must have been desperate to find her fiancé's killer.

"This is why I never told you." Light's eyes narrowed. "I was only trying to help her get the information to my father."

"Was anyone nearby when she said her name?"

"I didn't notice anyone. It was snowing. I can't really remember. L, if this wasn't an FBI agent following me..."

"...It might have been Kira," L finished.

Feeling his throat tighten, Light almost felt sick. Had Kira really been that close?

Matsuda stared down hard at the grave of Light Yagami. His ashes would have been beneath the stone monument. Despite L's accusations that he was Kira, everyone from the task force had left flowers, incense, and water. Matsuda slowly knelt to place a small bunch of white chrysanthemums down too.

"I want to believe... Ryuzaki was wrong about you," he said quietly. "You know... because of your research, we found a lead. We don't have much time, but..."

Matsuda trailed off.

"Maybe, though," he said after a while, "I'll see you soon?"

Aizawa, Mogi, and Soichiro stood behind him. Soichiro stared at the name of his son on the grave, looking deathly pale. Cars in the distance, outside of the graveyard, could be heard. People going about their daily business, as usual, as they gathered there in a place that was otherwise unnervingly silent.

Light is alive, Soichiro reminded himself. L asked me to observe everyone's reactions and keep playing the part. The thought wasn't enough to stop his stomach from turning as he looked at the family grave and the name of his son, 夜神月, newly etched onto the stone.

Although, Soichiro had been there earlier that day with his family. It's not like this could be worse.

Mogi was quiet, but his expression was heavy.

Aizawa sighed. "Sorry for the fight we had. But it looks like I wasn't wrong about L. You died saving him, and he still accuses you of being Kira."

Matsuda glanced at him.

"Well," breathed Aizawa, his shoulders slumped. "Maybe Matsuda's right."

"...Chief?"

"I said my goodbyes earlier today." Soichiro choked up. Sachiko and Sayu's faces and tears were still too fresh in his mind. "I can't... say it a second time."

Matsuda gave a small nod. He turned to Light's grave one more time before they left, "Thank you, Light, for everything you did."

Soichiro finished recounting Light's 'funeral' after he returned. Nothing had seemed out of the usual, he said. L's expression didn't shift.

"Thank you, Soichiro," he said. "And I'm sorry to put you through that."

"In truth, I don't know if what I'm doing is right anymore." Soichiro was crumbling. He removed his glasses. "If I do this, my son's life could be spared and his name cleared. But today, Sachiko..." his voice wavered.

"I understand," L said quietly. Soichiro wasn't quite sure if L did. After some time, he put his glasses back on.

"How is Light?"

"Recovering well. He's sitting, walking a little."

"Good..."

"Soichiro, as you know, we are going to start investigating the Yotsuba group," L said, changing the subject. "I was considering having someone from the task force infiltrate, however, in light of the circumstances," he waved a hand dismissively, "the best person for the job was Misa. She's already famous, so she could feign interest in becoming their company's spokesperson. Unfortunately, she's refusing to talk at all at the moment. That forces me to use the person currently monitoring her instead. Which means Misa Amane needs to be monitored by someone else. As you're the only one left that I trust…"

"You want me to monitor my son's girlfriend?" Soichiro asked, his voice tinged with reluctance.

L's face hardened. "Misa has refused to talk to anyone about her potential contact with Kira," L murmured. "Perhaps if she looks at you, she will see a part of Light. We can't risk her knowing that Light is still alive, so we can't send him in directly to talk with her. You're the only chance left that she might finally crack."

Soichiro sighed, his hand hovering on the doorknob of the room where Misa was being kept inside the headquarters building. After gathering himself, he entered his ID and passcode, pushing the door open.

He saw a blonde head peeking up from the sofa. He hesitated as he saw Misa sitting there, calmly reading a magazine. That wasn't exaclty what he was expecting.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, but I—"

The person turned. It wasn't Misa, but another woman sitting there with a pertinent expression.

"You must be the chief of Tokyo Metropolitan Police," she drawled. "A little late. Miss Amane," she raised her voice a tone, "I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye for now. There are some things that need attending to. Places to be, people to see, and a new crowd to impress."

Wedy lowered her sunglasses as she passed Soichiro, glancing him up and down. "Don't you know, I'm going to be a famous model now? Isn't that a sudden career change?" she winked and left.

Startled but unaffected, Soichiro glanced around the room. He saw Misa with her back toward him, sitting, hunched over on the floor. Her head hung down, and her hair was unstyled, falling limply down her back.

He cleared his throat for the second time. "Misa Amane, I'm sorry for suddenly showing up. Wedy needed a break to attend to some personal matters. You know who I am, but just so I don't startle you, I want to remind you that I'm Soichiro Yagami, Light's father. I'll be… here if you need me. May I come in?"

Misa Amane didn't reply. After a moment, Soichiro took a few more steps into the room.

The room looked different than it did through the surveillance camera. Larger, and brighter. None of Misa's personal effects were there.

He went to the sink and filled a glass with water. Kneeling down, he offered it to her. "Please take a sip. I know my son. He would want you to take care of yourself."

A shaking, unsteady hand slowly reached out for the glass. Misa swallowed a mouthful of water, and some dripped from her chapped, pale lips.

"Thank you," she said, her voice deathly quiet.

Soichiro placed the glass onto the floor. He stared at her for a long time. "Misa, we never really talked before, even though you were dating my son. If you have any questions, or if there's anything I can help you with, I'm here."

Slowly, Misa gave a faint nod.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

A faint shake of the head was her only response.

"I'll get you some food. I know it's hard to eat during this time… I also don't feel like eating, but you need to stay strong."

He went to get up, but a thin hand reached out for him.

"Mr. Yagami?" Misa said shakily.

"…Yes?"

"Is he really…?" Misa couldn't bring herself to say the word 'dead' again. Every part of her trembled. Every part of her felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces and disintegrate onto the floor.

"Yes," Soichiro confirmed to her, speaking to the person who was still one of L's top Kira suspects. "Light is gone."

At his words, fresh tears fell down Misa's face.

"Misa is talking," L remarked suddenly, leaning forward closer to the screen that showed the live surveillance footage. His thumb dragged slowly across his lips.

"Some progress," Watari agreed next to him. He'd since brought in another chair. "Hopefully, the chief gets more within these four days."

"I have a feeling he will," L said slowly. "We need to make sure Soichiro keeps saying the right things and asking the right questions. I won't be able to do that because I need to stay with the task force, but I'll send you a file with the kinds of things I want him to say."

"Understood."

"We'll work with Wedy now to infiltrate Yotsuba. You've already created a new ID for her, and everything necessary for her fake backstory as a famous American model?"

"She even now has her own fan page with thousands of followers and a backdated feature on several magazine websites."

"Perfect. Have Aiber accompany her. The building will be closed at 8:00 p.m.," L stood from the chair, "so make sure they get there before then."

"Of course."

Light wished there was a window in the room. It would be easier to tell the passing of time. Every time he glanced at the clock, hours seemed to have already gone by. He walked slowly around the room. Pain shot up from his side with every step, but if he didn't try now, he was scared that he'd be stuck in bed for more days than he needed to be. They were already down to four more days before Kira carried out his threat. Watari had told him that it was safe to walk now, as long as he didn't push himself or lift anything.

L came into the room around 1:00 a.m., earlier than Light expected. Light glanced up from the laptop where he'd been keeping up with all of the events through his father's access ID and doing his own research about the members of the Yotsuba Corporation.

"Misa's finally talking," L told him.

"What has she said?"

"Nothing much yet," said L as he slowly walked over. "But it's progress." He collapsed onto the end of the bed. As he lay there, he stared up at the ceiling. "I think I need to sleep for ten years."

"Then sleep. Tell me what I need to follow up on while you do."

L blinked. "Watari is already following up on everything necessary."

"...Then there's something else going on that you're not telling me?"

"Nothing that important."

"You know," Light told him, "it's obvious when you're lying."

L turned his head to look at him. "Is it? I thought I was rather good at it."

They stared at each other for a moment before Light's mouth pulled into a weak smile. "Actually, you have a habit that always gives you away. But I won't say what it is because you'll just modify it. Even without that, though, I'm sure I'd still be able to tell."

Frowning, L gathered himself up. "What is it?"

"You're the world's greatest detective," Light reminded him.

L glared at him. He crawled up the bed. "Light Yagami," his tone dropped. "Can I remind you that you currently work under me? For the purpose of this case, I request that you tell me the answer."

Light felt a flush creep up his neck. "And if I don't," he mused, "what are you going to do? Fire me?"

"Now would be the worst time to lose a member of the task force," L agreed. His face was unnervingly close.

"Why does that sound like a threat?"

"It may be."

His nose stopped an inch from Light's.

"I haven't tried this method of manipulation before," L said quietly. "I wonder how effective it is."

Slowly, he brought his lips to Light's ear. "So, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Fine," Light said, swallowing hard. "Since you're so insistent. You have a tell when you lie. You either fidget with your hands or feet."

L raised an eyebrow, pulling back slightly but still keeping his gaze fixed on Light. "Interesting. I was not aware."

Light's heart pounded in his chest.

L's expression softened just a fraction, though the intensity in his eyes remained. "I suppose it's not fair to ask you to reveal my own flaws without offering something in return."

"And what's that?"

L's lips curled into a small smile. "It's more something I think you should know. As it turns out, the information Misa Amane has provided so far is minimal, but it's clear that her psychological state is fragile," L explained, shifting into a more analytical tone. "It's possible that she might be more susceptible to certain types of influence, which could be an opportunity."

"So, you're saying her mental state could be leveraged?" Light asked, raising an eyebrow.

L nodded. "Precisely. We have to tread carefully. If we push too hard, she could become uncooperative. But if we handle it correctly, she might lead us to significant breakthroughs. That's why I asked for Soichiro Yagami to be involved. He will monitor her."

Light considered this. "So, you're using my father's connection to me as leverage."

"Yes. The hope is that Misa will find some solace or familiarity in Soichiro's presence, and that might encourage her to give us more information. As for the Yotsuba group," L sighed, rolling over onto his back. "Wedy has successfully infiltrated them. She's already made a few key contacts. Someone else is working alongside her to ensure her cover remains intact." L's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Though we must remain cautious. The Yotsuba Group is not only influential but also highly secretive. Any misstep could jeopardize our entire operation."

L paused before glancing back at Light. "One more thing, Light."

"Yes?" Light asked, curious.

L's gaze was serious. "What did you plan to do with this?" He took a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

Light stared at it. A picture he'd drawn of L into the notebook while he'd been in the middle of writing everything down partly delirious from the morphine that had now been reduced. Admittedly, he'd made it a little more detailed than any other in there.

"I didn't have any plans. It was just a quick sketch while I was thinking."

"You know, you have a real talent for this."

Hesitating, Light took the paper that was offered out to him.

"Thanks…"

L stared at Light for a long time after he took it.

"I'm not sure if you heard me at the hospital," he said quietly, "So thank you again, for saving my life."

"Thanks to you and Watari for saving mine. If I were Kira, it would have been better for you to leave me there to die."

"If you were Kira," L emphasised, "I would already be dead." He sat up slowly, his eyes never leaving Light's. L's expression was unreadable.

Before Light could respond, L closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to Light's in a brief, almost hesitant kiss. It was a gesture that was unexpected.

When L pulled back, his gaze was steady. He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you."

Chapter Text

"If I talked, he would have killed me," Misa whispered, her voice fragile. "Then he said he would kill Light."

Soichiro Yagami kept his expression neutral, though his heart clenched at her words. Finally, he had gotten Misa Amane to talk. She looked directly into his eyes now, and for a moment, he wondered if she saw the resemblance to Light in their shared dark brown gaze—and yet just as intense.

"I promise, Misa, whatever you tell me will stay between us," Soichiro said, carefully taking her trembling hand in his own, like a father comforting his daughter. "And I swear, whatever Kira made you do, you won't be held accountable if you help me find the person who took Light from us."

Misa's tears had long since dried, leaving her eyes raw and her face etched with sorrow. Her heart ached, each beat a painful reminder that she was still alive, forcing her to take another breath, and another.

"I can't..." Her voice was a broken whisper.

"Misa, without your help, we may never bring Light's killer to justice." Soichiro's voice was firm but gentle, trying to coax her back from the edge of despair. "If you tell me what you know, I can protect you. I can't let the person who killed my son walk free. You are the key to the justice that Light deserves."

Misa face was pale, her expression vacant.

"But he told me Light was going to be Kira," she murmured, so quietly that Soichiro had to strain to hear. He wondered if the microphones scattered around the room had even picked up her words.

"Who told you that?" Soichiro asked, his throat tightening as he prayed that L wouldn't use this as fresh evidence against Light.

Misa's mouth closed, and silence descended once more.

Light Yagami stared at the message on his phone, his mind racing. 'Misa Amane was told you're going to be Kira.' L had to stay with the task force, so Watari had set up this method of communication for them during the day. Watari had also deemed Light well enough to move back to their usual bedroom, a step up from the basement which had felt more like a sensory deprivation room where he'd been hooked up to IV drips. Light still couldn't move well, but at least he wasn't confined to that sterile, suffocating space.

He had swallowed eight pills that morning, handed to him by Watari without question. He didn't care what they were, as long as he could keep working to catch Kira.

'By who?'

'She won't say. J ust "he".  '

Light's jaw clenched. Misa was told I was going to be Kira? She never even mentioned that to me. Who was feeding her this information?

'Do you know anything about that?' L's message came through.

'No.' Light typed back quickly. 'I had no idea someone told her that. Did she believe it?'

'It appears so.' A pause. 'That statement alone is enough to arrest you on suspicion of being Kira.'

'Go ahead.' Light threw the phone onto the bed, seething. Would L actually arrest him? He couldn't be sure anymore. Even if L had concrete evidence—which he didn't, Light reminded himself—L had already admitted defeat if Light was or wasn't Kira. There was even some sort of confession in there.

The phone buzzed again, but Light ignored it. Another buzz. Soon, L was in the room, his gaze lit with irritation. "You ignored my question."

"Did you send something else?" Light replied coolly. "I was just preparing to be arrested and put on death row."

"Very funny, Light. I asked what else we could say to Misa to make her tell us who it was. Seeing as you," L's voice lowered as he moved closer, "are the one closest to her."

"I'd say you're the one closest right now," Light shot back.

"I should really just arrest you," L deadpanned, but there was a tension in his voice. Light offered his wrists, daring him. L took them, holding them tightly, his eyes narrowing. "You're playing a dangerous game."

"Am I? Misa only said that I was going to be Kira, not that I ever was. In fact, now I only have more proof of my innocence."

L frowned, his mind working rapidly. "Then why would she say that you're going to be Kira?"

"How would I know?" Light snapped, his frustration boiling over. "If I were going to be Kira, why would I save your life? Why would I keep telling you not to give Kira your name—?"

"There's a chance that if you were going to be Kira and Misa knew about it—"

Light silenced him by crashing their lips together. He didn't want to hear any more of L's deductions, which seemed determined to pin him as Kira. L tried to pull away, but Light's sole grip in his hair was firm, fingers digging in, refusing to let him go until L, in frustration, bit down on Light's lip.

"I'm not Kira. I'm not going to be Kira. I hate Kira," Light spat, his voice trembling with anger. "How many times do I need to tell you—?!"

Before Light could finish, L's eyes locked onto his, dark and unreadable. Without a word, L grabbed a fistful of Light's hair, yanking his head back with a sharp, almost violent tug. The sudden shift in power left Light gasping, barely able to catch his breath before L's mouth was on his again, aggressive, desperate.

L's breath was hot against Light's lips, mingling with his own, the taste of blood sharp in the air. L's grip tightened, his fingers digging painfully into Light's scalp—a warning, a punishment. A small, involuntary moan escaped Light's throat.

Was L trying to consume him? Break him? Pain shot through Light's side, sharp and unforgiving, and he shoved L away, falling back onto the bed. His hand instinctively moved to his shirt, resting over the wound that reminded him of his mortality.

He cursed under his breath as L crawled on top of him, unrelenting.

L's hand was more gentle this time as it cupped Light's chin, turning his face toward him.

Light's breath hitched as he stared up at L, whose eyes were now dark with something that wasn't quite anger. L's thumb brushed lightly against Light's skin, a touch that sent shivers down his spine.

"Light Yagami, don't you dare betray me."

"I won't," Light whispered, his voice trembling despite himself.

L leaned down, his lips brushing against Light's ear. "Then do you think you could trust me?"

The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing. L's presence was overwhelming, suffocating.

Light hesitated. "Fine," he breathed, barely audible. "What do you want me to do?"

L's hand slid down to rest on Light's chest. "You're going to write a letter to Misa from before you died, telling her about your plans to become Kira and instructing her on what to do next."

Light closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. He could feel the weight of L's body on top of him, the warmth of his hand seeping through his shirt.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

L's voice, when he spoke, was softer than Light had ever heard it. "I want you to pretend that you are Kira to get more information from Misa. Misa Amane worshipped two people—Kira and you. You need to be Kira so that we can get more."

"Who's playing a dangerous game now?" Light ground out, his voice laced with bitterness. "When you have any reason to believe that I'm Kira, you throw me to the ground."

L's silence was heavy.

"And if the only reason you're kissing me is to manipulate me, you needn't bother. You could just ask, and I'd do whatever you want if it means catching Kira."

Light's words seemed to echo in the room, bouncing off the walls, digging into L's mind.

"Get off me," Light demanded, his annoyance clear.

L didn't move.

"I said, get off!"

Swallowing hard, L stared at Light like he was looking into a mirror—a reflection he couldn't stand. Light held up a version of himself that made him uncomfortable, and L wouldn't let him go until he could change it.

"You're right," L murmured, hanging his head slightly. "I can't separate you and Kira."

"Then don't kiss me like you're kissing Kira, Ryuzaki. And if the only reason you did was because you think I am, then don't bother at all."

"I don't want you to be Kira," L reminded him, his voice softer now.

"I'm not. So what then?"

"If I never suspected that you were Kira," L admitted, "I probably would have kissed you a long time ago. Around the time we first met."

Light flushed, his frustration barely contained. "You don't need to mock me, either."

"Who said I was mocking?"

"You couldn't have possibly taken an interest in me that—" Light hesitated, the truth hitting him. He had been drawn to L from the moment they'd met too. "Are you in the habit of kissing people you just meet?" he deflected, searching for some way to regain control.

"No,"

Light clenched his jaw, his frustration turning to helplessness as he tried to push L away. But his body barely moved him. The pain in his side reminded him of his limits.

"I guess we could have just gone on a normal date at a coffee shop," Light said, his tone dripping with incredulity. "You'd tell me all about yourself, and I'd listen. Then, I'd tell you all about myself. We'd walk around Tokyo, your stories about cases filling the silence. Maybe you'd invite me back to your hotel. Or would that be moving too fast?" He paused, his eyes darkening with a mix of emotions. "Back then, I wouldn't have fully understood why I was attracted to you. Because, fuck, you're the first guy I ever kissed. But I would've had a pretty good idea. Instead of hearing accusations of being Kira every day, of 'dating' a girl I have no interest in, we—"

L's hand moved deliberately from Light's chest, tracing a slow path down to his stomach. The touch made Light freeze as L's hand dipped lower.

"We would what?" L asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Nng," Between the pain in his side and L's hand on him, Light was unable to move.

Matsuda almost pumped his fist in excitement. "They totally bought that Wedy's a famous model!"

"Yeah," Aizawa agreed, nodding. "She's in. Now we just need to figure out who's acting as Kira within Yotsuba."

"Where's Ryuzaki, anyway?" Mogi asked.

"He mentioned something about a migraine," Aizawa replied, rubbing his temple as if in sympathy. "I've got a headache too. I need actual sleep; this coffee isn't cutting it."

"But how will she find out who's Kira?" Mogi asked, his brows knitting together in concern.

"Ryuzaki said she's an expert at this," Aizawa replied, his voice tinged with doubt. "A little vague, but she's already set up cameras and bugs everywhere. I doubt she'll just wait for one of them to slip up…"

"I wish she'd started working with us earlier," Matsuda sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It'd be nice to have someone like her around."

"You're just saying that because she's a woman," Aizawa shot back.

"Ah—" Matsuda stammered, unable to refute the accusation.

"She's meeting privately with the executives tonight," Mogi reminded them. "She might try something then."

"It feels like Ryuzaki's keeping something from us," Aizawa grumbled, crossing his arms. "But you're right. She might try to corner them. It'd be risky."

L held Light on the bed. His hand rested on Light's shoulder, his fingers brushing lightly against the fabric of Light's shirt. L's leg was drawn up over Light's, and Light's eyes were closed, his breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps as he tried to steady himself.

"Light..." L murmured, his voice soft and filled with an emotion Light couldn't quite name. Light. How long had he waited to hear L say his name like that, without any trace of Kira in there?

Light opened his eyes, meeting L's gaze. His pupils were still dilated, his face flushed a deep crimson. Strands of his hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat, and before he could process what was happening, L leaned down and kissed him again. This kiss was different—gentle. L kissed him. Not Kira. Just Light.

"I need to go back to work," L whispered against his lips. "They'll wonder where I went."

Light watched as L walked through the door, the sound of it closing echoing in the now-quiet room.

Light sat at his desk, the pen in his hand feeling unnaturally heavy. A blank sheet of paper lay before him. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and began to scratch the pen onto the paper:

'Dear Misa,

If this letter reaches you, it means I'm no longer here. The truth is, I've been hiding something from you. I've made decisions that may seem wrong, but they were necessary. I need to become Kira. You must understand that my ultimate goal is to bring justice to the world. I'm taking a risk, and it might cost me my life. The circumstances of my death that you hear about will probably be a lie.

You must follow the instructions I will give you, even if I'm gone.

Someone has been threatening me. Threatening us. If I'm no longer there to protect you, then you must get rid of him so that you can be safe. The easiest way is to tell L who he is. I've already ensured that you'll be okay and won't be punished if you do this. You need to trust me.

To prove it's me writing this letter, I'll tell you something only you have ever told me: that you would never give up on me and would always love me, no matter what happens. Until the end. And after.

Stay strong, Misa. I trust you will do this to keep yourself safe.

With love,

Light Yagami'

Light stared at the letter, the words on the page weighted with finality. Carefully, he folded the paper and sealed it in an envelope, as if he were sealing away a part of himself and entrusting his fate to L. If L chose to, he could use this as damning evidence against him. After all, this was the only room without surveillance, and L's request for him to write it existed only in their memories.

He placed the envelope down onto the desk.

Don't betray me, either, L.

Chapter Text

'Dear L,

If something happens to me before it happens to you, my innocence will be proven. I’m also leaving this letter for you in case I die before I get the chance to tell you. You asked me to write a letter to Misa—a lie—but this one contains only the truth.

The amount of evidence against me has ben nothing short of terrifying. Even though I know I’m innocent, I’ve sometimes wondered if I’ve simply gone insane. I’m scared of losing you, my father, my family—of losing myself. I’m scared that I might be Kira, even though I know I’m not. And if there’s some kind of afterlife, you better meet me there. Whether it’s this week, next week, or tomorrow. No, you better live longer than that. I’m going to make sure you do.

I told you I was alone until I met you. And it’s true. “I fell for you” are words I never thought I would mean when I said them to anyone. How ridiculous they sound. Can I blame them entirely on the state I was in? Even though I know you’ve spent all your time hating me, I hope there can be some kind of future where you don’t.

I probably fucking love you. That’s the only confession I can give you.

Light.'

The paper nearly slipped from L’s hand. In the silence, he questioned whether he should have read it.

He had found it hidden beneath a stack of books in the bottom drawer of the desk in the bedroom. After noticing one page missing from the small stack of paper he'd given Light, he had searched for it. When he didn’t find it in the trash, he kept digging.

The air felt heavy as L stood motionless. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts, each vying for dominance.

Quietly, as quietly as he could, L slipped the letter he wasn’t supposed to see back where he found it. He took a deep breath. Light’s head was turned the other way on the bed, his chest rising and falling in the rhythmic pattern of sleep. Hesitating, L walked over to the bed. He slipped onto it, the mattress barely shifting under his slight weight.

If a heart felt like it was starting to beat again, would it need to shake off the dust? Would it need a kick until it sputtered back to life, or maybe two or three or ten until it reluctantly admitted that it felt something?

He sat there, frozen.

But he’s Kira—

He’s not—

He’s sleeping—

He’s pretending. He’s waiting—

He just saved your life—

He’s fooling you. You believe him—?

Are you even any better than Kira, anyway? Didn't you just —

The throbbing in his head grew louder, pulsing in sync with something painful, anxious, inside his chest. He reached out a hand, needing an anchor.

“Mm?” Light mumbled, feeling L shake him. It felt like he’d just been stuck in the middle of REM, his mind still lost in the remnants of a dream. Groggily, he opened his eyes, the room swimming into focus.

L just stared at him, his eyes wide, as if trying to see through him.

“Did something happen?” Light asked, trying to sit up, but L pressed him back down.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” L replied, his voice strained, almost a whisper.

“…You’re scaring me.”

“Really, it’s nothing.”

“I don’t believe you. There’s something,” Light insisted, his voice tinged with concern.

“There’s not. Just… I need to check that it’s you.”

Light’s brows furrowed, confusion flickering across his face as he squinted in the darkness. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“I hoped there wouldn’t be.”

“You’re not making any sense. At least tell me why you woke me.”

“I told you,” L swallowed, lifting the covers and moving under them. He rested his head on the pillow. Something akin to guilt twisted inside him. “Tell me your name,” he said quietly, almost pleading.

Light hesitated, sensing the desperation in L’s voice. “Light… Yagami?”

“Again.”

“L, what’s going on?”

“Please.” It was the closest L had ever come to begging. His request hung in the air, and Light swallowed before leaning forward, quietly switching to English.

“My name’s Light Yagami. And even though you probably know everything about me, the person you’ve accused me of being is totally wrong. I’m a twenty-year-old law student at To-Oh University, from Tokyo. You said before you’re five years older, which makes you around twenty-five. Frankly, that’s the least of our problems. If I can even call them ‘our’ problems, because I’m not entirely sure what we are. About a year ago, we met at my entrance ceremony. You were both the best and worst thing that ever happened to me. And,” his voice dropped even quieter, “I’m going to catch Kira.”

L’s tension eased slightly. If only it weren’t for the doubt hanging around like a persistent shadow.

“I'll tell you my name after we catch Kira.” He said slowly, “As I told you, I’m twenty-five, and I never studied at university. Although I do have many diplomas under multiple aliases. I was born in London, England, on October 31, 1979. But when I was five, I was taken to an orphanage. If you are Kira, then you would be the worst thing that ever happened to me—”

“And if I’m not Kira?” Light interrupted, his voice soft yet firm, as if challenging L to confront the possibility.

L swallowed, his throat dry, as he struggled to find the right words. The room seemed to close in around him.

Light gripped his hand, his fingers twisting into a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, his voice steady, though his eyes searched L’s for a reaction.

L stared at him—at his face, his eyes, his lips.

“You really are way too attractive,” L murmured, almost annoyed about it.

Light smirked and turned his head up to the ceiling. “Why does it actually feel like a compliment coming from you?”

“Maybe you overestimate me, and I am just incredibly shallow.”

“I might believe that if you weren’t ready to kick my face in the moment you suspect I’m Kira.”

“So then, my minimum standard is that you’re not a mass murderer?”

“I doubt that.”

“By our birth dates, you’re a tiger, and I’m a sheep.” L noted. “We’re hardly compatible.”

Light laughed, the sound unexpected and genuine, escaping from his mouth before he even had time to think about it.

“What? Well, if we go by the astrological signs, you’re a Scorpio and I’m a Pisces. We’re inverted. Does it really matter?”

“I suppose not. Although that is slightly conflicting. Perhaps fitting,” L mused, trying to distract himself.

Light’s smile was something L realized he’d never genuinely seen before. He’d given them out to be polite, passed them out like obligations, but Light’s real smile was so hidden that even L had almost forgotten he must have had one.

Light glanced back at him, his eyes warm, open, and questioning. L leaned in and kissed him, a hesitant brush of lips, testing, searching.

“Light Yagami?” L breathed, his voice barely above a whisper, as if confirming that this was real, that Light was real.

He kissed him again, a bit firmer, letting the emotions he’d kept locked away surface for a moment.

“Light—”

L kissed him again, harder this time.

“Light—”

Light responded by kissing him harder, his hand threading through L’s unruly hair, pulling him closer.

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting a golden light through the curtains as the rain finally cleared. L was standing by the window, staring out at the now-clear sky, lost in thought.

The door creaked open behind him, and L turned slightly, recognizing Soichiro Yagami’s firm footsteps.

“Good morning, Ryuzaki,” Soichiro said, his tone formal. He paused, studying L’s face, noting the even darker circles under his eyes. “We have two days.”

“Yes,” L agreed quietly. “I do.”

“We do,” corrected Soichiro. He took a seat and clasped his hands under his jaw. “I’ve been thinking about what you asked me. And… it’s impossible for me to even guess which person on the task force might be Kira. I’ve been working with these men for a long time. So, I acknowledge that I may be too close to make an accurate assessment.”

“That’s fine,” said L. “Had you told me someone’s name without any evidence, that would have only increased my suspicions of you.”

“Me?” Soichiro hesitated. “Well, I guess it makes sense. Everyone right now is a suspect.”

“Yes. Although the chances of Kira being you were the lowest. I doubt you would have tried to incriminate your own son.”

“And yet, recently I’ve let my wife and daughter grieve him…”

“To keep him safe.” The quiet reminder should have felt more comforting.

“Ryuzaki…” There was a long pause, and Soichiro seemed to grasp at words for a moment, trying to decide which ones were needed. “I assume you’ve figured out by now why Light risked his life for you?”

L froze, the question catching him off guard. His eyes unfocused on the sky outside, and he slowly turned to face Soichiro again, a furrow of confusion between his brows.

“What do you mean?” L asked, his voice carefully controlled, though his heart began to race.

“I’ve known since he got into that fight with Aizawa,” Soichiro began, his voice calm yet steady. “I saw the way he defended you, but I’d noticed several things before that. Matsuda had too. When I asked Light about it directly, he didn’t deny it.”

L’s mind whirred, piecing together the implications of Soichiro’s words, but he still couldn’t bring himself to fully understand or accept what was being suggested.

“I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, Mr. Yagami,” L replied, his voice even. It was partly true—he didn’t know what conversation had ocurred between Light and his father, and he didn’t feel it was his obligation to put it out into the open either, to confirm or deny what he suspected Soichiro was implying. Nor did he want to. “But I have thanked Light. However, if there’s something you’ve noticed, I suggest you tell me, as it could be relevant to the case.”

Soichiro frowned, clearly conflicted. “It’s not relevant, but it’s not my place to say it either.”

“Are you withholding information?” L pressed, his tone sharpening slightly as he tried to regain control of the conversation.

“No, that’s not it at all. It’s about my son personally. It has no—”

“Your son is still one of the main Kira suspects,” L interrupted, his voice hard. “If there’s something you think you’ve noticed that I haven’t, then I would strongly suggest you tell me.”

It has to be something else.

Is it something I missed to suggest he could be Kira?

Soichiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “His feelings for you are much stronger than admiration. I’m not good with words, so I don’t know how to say it other than he likes you.”

L’s face went pale, his mouth opening slightly in shock. “Oh,” he said slowly, his voice barely audible. “Yes… he did mention that.”

‘Like’ in Japanese was more or less the equivalent of the English word ‘love’.

“So,” Soichiro cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as if it would somehow make the conversation less awkward. “Let me just say that you both better survive the Kira case. The only option is to catch Kira. And… I’ve reviewed the footage that you asked me to look at.”

Grateful for the change in conversation, L swallowed, realizing that his mouth was dry.

“There was someone entering the police station on the day Naomi Misora killed herself around the time that you mentioned—someone from the task force.” Soichiro told him.

“I’ve always admired Kira,” Wedy blew out the smoke from her mouth in perfect Os. “I know,” she tutted to herself as she watched the man opposite her stare at her lips as she whispered. “A lady shouldn’t smoke. It’s my only bad habit. But you know,” she shrugged her bare shoulders, “you can’t say such things in public—that you support Kira. It seems impossible to find anyone who understands me.”

Higuchi was eyeing her the way that only she liked to eye other people, like a target. He might have looked handsome after several bottles of wine and if she squinted, but the wine she had in her glass from lunch in that dimly lit bar had so far mostly been emptied into her lined purse. She’d drunk only enough for the smell to linger on her breath.

“You support Kira?” he repeated, and his wry smile only grew as he stared at her.

“More than that,” Wedy leaned forward. “I could help him. I know who you are, Mr. Higuchi. Because I also have a Death Note. And the vision to see. I know you don’t have that.” She leaned in even closer and put a finger under his chin playfully. “Do you think fate brought us together? I never imagined that my career would bring me to cross paths with someone like you.”

Kyosuke Higuchi had something called a ‘Death Note’ hidden inside the armrest of his car. Wedy had found it the previous night, after she’d searched the eight members of the Yotsuba board’s cars. Too simple, really. L told her that she had three days, but she knew she only needed one. She was a professional thief, after all. The best that she had ever met. She’d sent a scan of it over to L, and he’d already confirmed that night that the names matched Kira’s victims. What did she need to do now?

“Get more information. This is what you will tell Higuchi.”

“You owe me extra for this. I’m risking my life.”

“Fine,” L had agreed. “How much is risking your life worth?”

“Another three million dollars.”

“I’ll send you six.”

Wedy always liked doing business with L. There was never any bullshit.

“And the death row inmate I just killed to test if it works?”

There was a pause on the line. A pause so long that she wasn’t sure if L wasn’t going to respond.

“That never happened.”

Specifically, the ‘Death Note’ had been concealed within a compartment in the armrest of Higuchi’s Mercedes-Benz.

Wedy despised luxury cars. They were always such obvious targets that it almost involuntarily made her eyes roll.

“You have the Shinigami eyes?” Higuchi breathed.

“Yes,” Wedy murmured, a smile dancing on her face. “So, can I be all yours… Mr. Higuchi? Tell me how I can be useful to you."

She envied Aiber, who got to stay back at the Yotsuba office merely protecting her fake identity. She'd think of a dirty task for him later, to even the workload a little. After all, it was only fair.

Misa sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the crumpled tissues scattered across the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest.

Light is dead.

The thought repeated over and over in her mind, each time more painful than the last. She had tried to deny it, to convince herself that it wasn’t true, but the emptiness inside her refused to be filled with anything else but this thought, and despair.

There was a knock at the door, and Misa didn’t respond. The door creaked open, and Soichiro stepped inside.

“Misa,” Soichiro began, his voice soft. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

Misa looked up at him, her eyes wide with grief and confusion. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything, the words caught in her throat.

Soichiro walked over to her and handed her a sealed letter. “Forgive me that I didn’t remember to give this to you before. Light asked me to pass this on to you if something ever happened to him,” he said, his voice strained. “I… had forgotten about it until we talked yesterday.” He lied. For what felt like too many times. 

With trembling hands, Misa took the letter, her eyes scanning the envelope, recognizing Light’s handwriting. She tore it open, her heart pounding as she began to read.

—5 Days Earlier—

Cold water trickled down Light's neck. Blood continued running from his nose from where Aizawa had punched him.

A heavy sigh came from next to him.

"He deserved it," Light bit out, his voice tight with restrained anger.

Soichiro glanced at his son, his expression a mix of concern and resignation. "I should never have let you join this investigation…" he murmured quietly.

"It's not your fault," Light insisted, bringing more water to his face, "I joined because I wanted to find Kira. Just like you. I wanted to bring him to justice."

Soichiro regarded his son silently, the weight of unspoken worry on his weary face.

"Wanted?"

"I still do."

Tired of watching his own blood trickle down into the drain, Light grabbed one of the towels to stop the blood.

"Ryuzaki won't consider the possibility that I'm not Kira," Light continued, his voice tinged with frustration. "I know that I'm not. And I don't know if I can find Kira alone."

"L has never been wrong…" Soichiro said. "It's probably hard for him to admit this one time that he might be. I have a son… who is also this stubborn sometimes."

"... How are we going to find Kira in seven days?" Light muttered.

"Maybe we can't," Soichiro admitted reluctantly, his gaze distant. "But we will try."

His father rarely lied, even when the truth was bitter and difficult to swallow.

Soichiro stood in the bathroom, watching his son closely. Light stood by the sink, blood trickling down his face, staining the white porcelain. The room fell eerily quiet.

“I’ve never seen you get into a fight before,” Soichiro said quietly, his voice filled with concern. “You always keep your cool.”

Light threw the bloody towel into the sink, his hand gripping the cold porcelain as he stared at it, as if studying every crack and flaw.

“You’re very quick to defend him,” Soichiro continued, “This is something I’ve wanted to ask for a while but wasn’t exactly sure when or how to say it… Have you developed feelings for Ryuzaki?”

The question caught Light off guard, so much so that his attention immediately snapped back to his father. His mouth opened, but no words came out. They couldn’t. How could he know? How could anyone know?

Soichiro observed his son’s reaction, the way his eyes widened and his grip on the sink tightened. The silence between them grew heavy.

“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Soichiro said softly, “but it was starting to become a little obvious. It’s none of my business,” he added, crossing his arms in a gesture that was both defensive and protective, “Just be careful. We’re in a dangerous situation right now that doesn’t need further complications.”

Light’s mind raced as he processed his father’s words. The sound of the water dripping into the sink seemed louder, almost deafening in the quiet room. He could feel his pulse quicken, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to find something, anything, to say.

“Has the bleeding stopped?” Soichiro asked.

As if on cue, another drop of blood fell from Light’s nose, landing with a soft splash in the sink. He watched it trickle down, leaving a faint red trail that swirled with the water before disappearing down the drain.

Light swallowed hard, forcing himself to regain his composure. “Yeah,” he finally managed to say, though his voice was shaky. He wiped at his nose again, more forcefully this time.

Soichiro gave him a long, searching look. But he didn’t push further. Instead, he nodded once.

“Alright,” Soichiro said, his tone a bit softer now. “Just remember what I said.”

Light didn’t reply. He just watched his father as he turned to the door.

Chapter Text

Aiber was a con man, not a killer. At least, he hadn't been until he'd put a silenced bullet in Higuchi's chest. The Mercedes-Benz had an ugly camel-colored interior that made the blood splatter more obvious than he expected. He couldn't help but wonder, why would anyone pair a red sports car exterior with a camel interior, anyway?

"Talk about a mix of understated and flashy," Aiber grumbled, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. Wedy looked at him from behind her large sunglasses in the back seat.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked.

"No one," he muttered. "This guy stinks of booze. How much did he drink, anyway?"

"A little late to ask now. If you were worried he'd have a hangover, I don't think that bullet would have helped."

"You're welcome. So, why did L change the plan?" he asked.

"Hm? Who said he did?" Wedy's voice was casual, but her eyes were guarded.

"Wedy, you texted me saying the plan had changed. And this guy needs to be dead."

Wedy stared back at him, her lips slightly crumpled.

"That was my plan."

"What? Are you telling me—"

"I got all the information I needed," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Tying up dangerous loose ends only makes sense. Besides, he was about to take me to a hotel. I'll handle L if he has an issue with it. He only asked me to get more information and this little notebook of murder." She slipped the Death Note into her bag. "The only thing left to do now is deliver this to L. Let's dump the body and go."

"Christ, I just killed a guy and I'm not even getting paid for it. Can you give me a moment? I need a cigarette."

Wedy sighed but complied, handing him a cigarette from her own pack. She put the window down, letting the crisp late October air rush in. The autumnal scent filled her nostrils before the smoke did, and for a moment, she hesitated before flicking the lighter.

"I'm going to hell," Aiber mumbled quietly, staring at the rising smoke.

"No. You're one of the good guys," Wedy said, her eyes fixed on the clouds drifting over the desolate parking spot by Tokyo Bay as the radio announced midnight and started playing a song.

With a sparkle in your eyes

And a gentle smile

It seems like a dream

That I've been waiting for

You are the light

In the dark of my heart

You're the answer to my prayers

Love so sweet, it's like a dream

I've found my place

Even if the world changes

I'll always be by your side

"What's this song?" Her voice cut through towards the end.

"A good one, eh?"

"Not bad," she hummed.

Misa's voice had quivered as she spoke, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion as she held the letter. "But... I don't understand," she whispered, her gaze shifting nervously.

Soichiro Yagami leaned forward, his tone gentle but insistent. "What is it that you don't understand, Misa?"

She struggled to articulate her thoughts. "How can I tell L? He was the one who threatened to kill me if I didn't do what he said. That's why I sent the tapes. He promised me that one day Light would become Kira, I just needed to listen to him. Kira's my hero... I wanted to trust him. He was just pretending to catch Kira."

Soichiro's eyes widened in disbelief. "Misa… Are you saying it was L who threatened you and Light and... L is Kira?"

She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "At first, I didn't know who it was. He just sent texts. After I met Light, he called me. I was scared..." Her voice broke, "He told me to be a good actress. I thought if I just did what Kira asked, we'd be safe until then. Then the broadcast happened... and I didn't know what to believe anymore. I wanted Light to leave and get away from all this... I didn't even want him to be Kira anymore. It was like L was tormenting me. And now my Light is..."

Misa's body trembled as she spoke, her face a mask of guilt and fear. "Are you going to arrest me?" Her voice was barely audible, a whisper fraught with desperation. "Light wrote that I should say this, but I can't trust Ryuzaki. Can I trust you?"

Soichiro placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and nodded. "Of course, Misa. You can trust me."

He discreetly rubbed his hand against the audio recorder in his pocket, hoping it was capturing the conversation clearly despite Misa's voice at times being so soft that it was barely a whisper.

"Thank you... Mr. Yagami," Misa murmured.

When L returned to the room where the rest of the task force was waiting, all eyes turned to him. He didn't flinch, meeting their stares with his own. He could sense the tension in the air; everyone seemed ready to reach for their guns.

"Before you do anything," he said, "if you doubt me, you're only doing what Kira wants." His gaze shifted to the audio recorder in Soichiro's hand. "If you truly believe that I'm Kira, then he's already won."

"I just want an explanation," Soichiro said, his voice steady. "Why would Misa say this?"

All eyes remained fixed on L, and he finally understood what Light must have felt like all this time. Everyone was staring at him as if he were a killer, and Soichiro's eyes were filled with questioning and betrayal.

"The only thing I can tell you with certainty is that such a conversation never happened between myself and Misa Amane."

"So let me get this straight," Aizawa interrupted, his voice edged with disbelief. "Light died saving your life, and now his girlfriend says that you've been threatening them the entire time? How do we know Light was trying to save you, and you didn't kill him-?"

"That part is true," Soichiro defended quickly, perhaps too quickly.

"How do you know?" Aizawa shot back.

"I was on the phone with him during his last moments." Soichiro fumbled, "Ryuzaki had called me after he'd called the ambulance."

"And how do you know Light wasn't just being manipulated by him to say that?" Aizawa challenged, his eyes narrowed.

With his jaw set, Soichiro couldn't defend his point any further.

"If what Misa said was true," Soichiro turned to L, "I could never forgive you. And neither could have Light."

L stared at him, the words feeling like daggers. His usual emotional detachment seemed to crack.

"If anyone here truly believes that I'm Kira, then I want you to leave," L said in a low voice.

Everyone glanced around, uncertain. Matsuda stared hard at the floor.

"I'll be the first, then," Aizawa ground out. "If I'm not the first of the task force that you kill tomorrow to undoubtedly clear your own name at the end of these four weeks, then you can bet I'm going to bring hell to you. No," Aizawa shook his head. "There's no reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now!" He reached for his gun, but Matsuda stopped him.

"This could just be what Kira wants," Matsuda said.

"You're an idiot," Aizawa spat. "If you really believe that."

"I'd rather be an idiot than stand by while Ryuzaki gets shot. There's not enough proof that he—"

"No proof?" Aizawa riled. "What else do you need? At this point, why don't you just confess?" Aizawa demanded, staring straight at L. "Give it up. Misa told the Chief that you're Kira. That's all the proof I need."

"Aizawa," Soichiro said sternly. "Go home. I'll handle this." He paused for a moment. "You have a child who needs her father around. I relieve you of your duties for today."

"Chief—"

"I said, go." Soichiro turned to face him. "I will handle it."

Aizawa left, his footsteps echoing with a finality that underscored his anger. L stared at the elevator doors as they closed, and he opened his mouth, considering thanking Matsuda, but his lips drew back into an unreadable frown.

"On second thought, I think everyone should leave," L said listlessly. "I need to be alone."

Matsuda wanted to say something, but the words disappeared. There was nothing he could say to offer comfort, though it seemed to trouble him that he couldn't. "There's only... tomorrow," was the best he could manage.

"Thank you for the reminder, Matsuda. However, I'll be fine alone."

"You both go first," Soichiro told Matsuda and Mogi. "I still need to talk with Ryuzaki. I will meet you downstairs."

Mogi and Matsuda exchanged a look of confirmation before nodding.

When the elevator descended and the light flashed to show that Matsuda and Mogi were two floors below, Soichiro turned to L.

"I need to see him."

"We can't tell Light about this."

"And why not?"

"Because it will only set us back. It will muddy the evidence we already have. Besides, as Matsuda said, there's only one more day. I would prefer Light not think I'm a killer."

"Light already knows," Soichiro said evenly. "I've uploaded it onto my files. The files he has access to."

L swallowed.

"If you are not Kira..." Soichiro continued. " I think he is the only person who would know. I don't know... what to believe anymore. All I ask is that if you are Kira, you don't kill Light. End my life if you want, but let him be."

L looked at Soichiro, his expression unreadable. "I am not Kira," he said quietly. "Light has only spoken highly of you. If it means that you, and the task force... and he, get to live, then tomorrow I will give Kira my name. You have my word, Soichiro Yagami."

Soichiro's hand formed a tight fist at his side. With no words left to say, he turned and left. His footsteps were heavy and his head hung as he waited for the elevator. L's gaze followed him, tracing the path of his departure, his heart thudding in his chest.

L dropped the black notebook—the Death Note—onto the bed with a soft thud. "This is what Higuchi used to kill," he said, his voice a mixture of weariness and resignation. "Wedy and Aiber found it it. No one else from the task force knows I have it, except now for you. Only you and Soichiro know what it is. And, of course, Kira and the others who he has contact with."

He decided to ignore the way Light had slipped a hand into his trouser pocket and stared at him coldly. The silence between them was heavy, cutting through L more painfully than he cared to admit. He avoided Light's gaze, but he could feel it burning into him from where Light stood near the bedroom window.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Light's voice was cold, devoid of warmth.

"Is there something you'd like to ask?" L countered, trying to maintain his composure.

If L could have ripped up time, he might have chosen to tear it back to a week ago, a year ago, or even before the Kira case had begun. He would have found Light Yagami before there was even a whisper of Kira, and ignored that the world was burning. He would have waited for Kira to expose himself before he knocked him down in an unexpected checkmate that didn't involve personal risk. Yes, he should have watched the flames from a distance, merely observed them, or—

"No," Light cut through L's thoughts, his voice quiet but final. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

L's heart felt like it might stop. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words emerged.

Slowly, Light walked over to the bed. He picked up the black notebook—the Death Note—and turned it over in his hands. His gaze traveled up to meet the Shinigami's eyes, which glowed with an unsettling intensity. Light hesitated, but his resolve remained firm.

"What do I call you?" he asked the Shinigami.

"Rem," the Shinigami replied. Rem's appearance was starkly different from what Light had imagined. Her form was ethereal, her skin a pale, ghostly white, and her eyes—large and yellow.

"You're not exactly... what I would expect a Shinigami to be like," Light said, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

"And what do you mean by that?" Rem's voice was deep and resonant, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

"You look like a Shinigami, but inside, you seem... more human,"

Rem's yellow eyes flickered with what might have been surprise, but she remained silent for a moment, as if weighing her response.

"Can you tell me who used this Death Note?" Light's voice was edged with desperation.

"If I do, Misa Amane's life will be at risk," Rem said solemnly.

Light's jaw clenched. He glanced back at L, "Is that right?" he mused out loud, though his tone didn't sound amused. "Misa Amane is my girlfriend. In fact, if it meant saving her, would you stop me if I tried to kill Kira?"

The Shinigami seemed to deliberate, her yellow eyes betraying a flicker of confusion. Perhaps she wasn't accustomed to such conversations with humans, or perhaps she had expected Light's reaction to be different.

"No," Rem admitted. "I would not."

Light placed the Death Note back on the bed with care. "L," he said slowly, "I do have one more thing to say. I'm no longer a suspect in the Kira investigation. In fact, all the evidence now points to you. Because of this, I'm no longer required to be under surveillance. I'm leaving." He paused, his voice dropping. "Aren't you going to even try to deny it?"

"You wouldn't believe me any more than I believed you," L said quietly, his voice tinged with a trace of sadness. "As for who Kira is, I thought Misa would have revealed his name today, not mine."

Light let out a shaky breath. The silence that followed after Light left was deafening, closing in around L like a vacuum. It left him staring through a void as the sun rose.

Chapter Text

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Is there something you'd like to ask?"

"No," Light cut through L's thoughts, his voice quiet but final. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

With deliberate slowness, he had walked over to the bed and picked up the black notebook—the Death Note.

Light had everything he needed—he'd figured out who Kira was, but next he had to distance himself from L. L wanted to keep him close, to shield him from danger, but if Light stayed, he would only be waiting for L's inevitable downfall. He had a plan now, one that would require him to defy the very limits L lived by. L's morality was a complex web of greys, but Light was ready to embrace the abyss if it meant stopping Kira.

"What do I call you?" he'd asked the Shinigami he saw. His back was to L, and Light was sure that he couldn't see his hands as he talked to the death god.

"Rem," she replied.

"You're not exactly what I would expect a Shinigami to be like," Light said, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"You look like a Shinigami, but inside, you seem more human."

He needed to stall, but he was also aware that he needed some confirmation of a couple of things first. He assumed Rem wouldn't tell him who Kira is; if she were going to, L would have already tried.

"Can you tell me who used this Death Note?" Light asked instead. As he did, he quietly tore a page out of the book, making sure that the death god was staring at him and not breaking eye contact. He assumed it probably wasn't often that a creature like that had the full attention of a human.

"If I do, Misa Amane's life will be at risk," Rem said solemnly.

Light slipped the torn page into his sleeve with a deft movement, silently thanking his dexterity. He glanced back at L, who was pointedly avoiding his eyes. "Is that right?" Light mused out loud. "Misa Amane is my girlfriend. In fact, if it meant saving her, would you stop me if I tried to kill Kira?"

Because I will kill Kira.

"No," Rem admitted. "I would not."

Light placed the Death Note back on the bed. "L," he said slowly, "I do have one more thing to say. I'm no longer a suspect in the Kira investigation. In fact, all the evidence now points to you. Because of this, I'm no longer required to be under surveillance. I'm leaving." He paused.

He didn't want to leave. But if he didn't, Light knew the consequences.

"Aren't you going to even try to deny it?" Light's voice was tinged with an edge of challenge. Did L truly believe that Light was simply walking away without a fight? He expected more resistance. Didn't L even care?

"You wouldn't believe me any more than I believed you," L said quietly. "As for who Kira is, I thought Misa would have revealed his name today, not mine."

Light let out a shaky breath, the weight of his decision pressing down on him.

Then I know, if I stay here, you've already given up, and I wouldn't be able to do anything. Sorry, L...

With a final glance at L, Light had turned and walked out.

The morning sun cast long, slanting beams of light through the broken windows of the warehouse, illuminating the shards of jagged glass still clinging to their frames. Light stood by a cracked window, observing the birds that flitted by as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. He checked his watch—6:00 a.m.—and then looked back at the rising sun, wondering if L was watching it too. Undoubtedly, he wouldn't have slept.

In thirty minutes, a broadcast would air. It was orchestrated by Light but disguised as a message from Kira. L, the task force, and Misa would all be drawn to the warehouse, exactly as planned. If everything went smoothly, Kira would be dead by the end of the morning.

For the first time in six days, Light hadn't taken any pain medication, and his side throbbed in protest. Though, if he survived until the end of the day with only that problem, he would be grateful. He didn't expect Kira to go down without a fight, and there were still variables he couldn't be sure of. But he knew that if he didn't try anything, the outcome would be much worse. Light wasn't one to gamble; he'd made every calculation carefully. But he wasn't God either. He couldn't account for everything.

The first rumble of wheels on gravel reached his ears about 70 minutes later. Light pressed his head against the damp timber wall on the second floor. He'd still need to wait for them all to come, as they'd been instructed.

"If anyone's listening, we're here," Mogi's voice echoed through the warehouse. "Not all of us. There are two more cars coming."

"Is anyone really here?" Matsuda's voice said quietly. "This place looks completely empty."

"I feel like someone's watching us…" Mogi's voice was tense.

"Do you think the others are okay? Kira said he'd kill us if we didn't come, but what if someone doesn't show?"

"They should be here soon."

Light swallowed hard and removed a small microphone from his pocket, focusing intently. He just needed to wait a little longer.

He heard the sound of something being moved—perhaps a crate being shifted—and someone's weight settling onto it. "I told Light that we might see him soon…" Matsuda sighed. "Do you think this is the end? I hoped we could at least make his death mean something… How did we ever stand a chance?"

Mogi remained silent.

Another car arrived.

Soichiro and Aizawa.

"Matsuda," Soichiro's voice rang out. "Mogi."

Light imagined his father nodding at each of them.

"And here we all are," Aizawa said gruffly.

"No," Soichiro corrected. "There's still L."

Light's pulse quickened as the last car arrived, pulling up slowly. His ears strained to catch every sound L made as he walked into the warehouse, his Converse barely making a sound against the floor.

"Ryuzaki," Soichiro greeted, his tone clipped yet polite even in this dire situation.

Light hoped L might say something, anything, but there was only silence.

"Misa..."

Light had already heard her approaching footsteps.

"Mr. Yagami..." Misa's voice was a tremor of fear. Light hadn't heard her voice except for the recording his father had uploaded of her saying that L was Kira, since before he'd been pronounced dead. Every trace of joy had vanished from her tone.

"We're all here," Light's father's voice called loudly. Loud enough for anyone in the warehouse, or even outside, to hear. "We did what you wanted," he said, "the agreement was that if we came, you wouldn't kill us. So tell us, what now?"

Hesitating for a moment, Light brought the microphone up to his lips.

"Soichiro Yagami," he said quietly. As he spoke, his voice was distorted and altered—a perfect replication of the voice L usually used during communication with law enforcement agencies or the public, output to speakers in each corner downstairs. "Thank you for letting me know, and thank you all for your cooperation."

"What—" Matsuda's voice cut through the tension. "That sounds just like Ryuzaki!"

"No," L's voice came. Hearing it now evoked a raw, indescribable emotion. "It sounds like the voice distortion I usually employ. The same pitch shifting and timbre modification."

"How very observant of you, L," Light said quietly. "I'm glad most of all that you're here."

L didn't reply, but Light didn't expect him to. Aizawa spoke next, his voice strained with frustration. "Enough of this. Just tell us what you want! Do you work for L or not?"

Leaning back again, Light's eyes burned at the question.

"First, I want to speak with Misa."

"Misa?"

"Misa Amane," Light continued. "You received a message early this morning at 3 a.m. Who was it from?"

"It was from you, Kira..." Misa's voice shook.

"And someone called you too. Who was that?"

"It was... it was you."

"And I am?"

A tense silence followed.

"You're Kira." Misa almost winced. "Are you going to kill me, like you killed Light?"

Light laughed, unable to hold it back. It came out choked, bitter, and angry. "I'm Kira?" he murmured, repeating the words. "Misa Amane... are you really that dense?"

His laughter continued, sounding almost deranged over the speaker. "Tell me, Misa, have we ever met?"

He imagined she might be shaking, tears in her eyes as she glanced around, confused.

"N-yes. No? I don't... Ryuzaki?"

"I'm right here," L's voice cut through, an edge of steel in his tone. "I'm not the one asking questions. Am I?"

"Then… no..." Misa's voice faltered. "Mr. Kira…"

"No?" Light echoed, his voice cold.

"...No."

"You followed my instructions just by reading my messages and hearing my voice on the phone. I claimed to be Kira and directed you to act, didn't I?"

"Y-yes."

"You told Soichiro Yagami that L was Kira. You said you communicated with him through your phone and that he threatened to kill you if you didn't follow his orders. You believed L was Kira all along, and acted accordingly, or he would kill you and Light. Have I got that right?"

"Yes..."

Light stepped out from the room, his gaze fixed on L before shifting to Misa. Misa's face went ashen, and she staggered backward. Mogi caught her as she collapsed.

Good. That makes things easier.

Light threw the microphone to the floor and descended the stairs slowly.

He turned slowly, his eyes locking onto L’s. “But there was one name Kira didn’t have."

L’s breath hitched, a flicker of realization crossing his usually calm features. Light’s hand slipped behind him, grasping the gun tucked into his belt, and in one fluid motion, he aimed it at L’s head.

L’s eyes widened. 

“Light…” L’s voice was barely a whisper, laced with confusion. "You don't need to do this. I'll give you my name. Let everyone else go."

Light’s hand trembled, just slightly, but enough for L to notice. "Misa said I'd be Kira," he said in a low voice. "That means Kira wants to give me his power. Instead of hiding or dying like the rest of you, I'm going to prove that I'm worthy, I'll make a sacrifice."

“Light, you can’t give in to Kira—” came Soichiro’s voice, his tone heavy with a father’s desperation.

"The chief is right," Matsuda joined in. "Don't do this."

“Stop this—!”

Light wavered for a fraction of a second. He swallowed hard, his hands shaking, but then he turned the gun away from L and aimed it at his father instead. The shot rang out, cold and final, striking Soichiro right where his heart should be. Soichiro Yagami collapsed, and the room was filled with a stunned silence.

The shock in L’s eyes was more than Light could bear, but he needed to continue. His gaze followed his father’s fall, but he forced himself to keep his emotions in check as Matsuda pulled him away.

“But… your father!” Mogi shouted, his voice rising in panic. “How could you—?”

“Thanks for the flowers at my funeral,” Light smirked, a twisted grin spreading across his face. “It was touching. Who else would be more worthy to be Kira than someone who came back from the dead?”

“It’s not possible…” Aizawa breathed, staring at L with disbelief. “L, you lied to us!”

“Yes,” L admitted, his voice hollow. “I was trying to keep Light safe.”

“What do you mean, safe?” Aizawa’s voice was sharp, but there was an undercurrent of fear that hadn’t been there before.

Light’s gun swung back toward L. He stepped closer, each footfall echoing until he was right in front of him. He saw the fist L was making, ready to strike at him, and with one swift motion, he grabbed a handful of L’s hair, yanking his head back.

“You still owe me your name,” Light whispered, his breath hot against L’s ear, “Didn’t you make a promise to me?”

“A promise,” L murmured. “Yes."

"Don't forget it."

Mogi moved, but before he could draw his weapon, Light’s gun fired again, the bullet tearing through Mogi’s arm.

Light’s smile returned, cold, to L. “I was right. I wanted to be sure... but… In case I was wrong and the Death Note didn’t work, I figured I’d have to just shoot you myself. You have about thirty seconds. Even if it doesn’t work, I’ll just kill you. I only had a scrap of paper, so I can’t be certain if anything's about to happen. Based on what Wedy reported, it should.”

Light’s gaze shifted to Aizawa. “You’re the only one who’s not trying to stop me from killing L, even though he’s innocent, Shuichi Aizawa. You also don't seem to care that my father is dead, either. Tell me," he said deathly quiet, "is there something you want to say?”

Aizawa's eyes widened, and Light glanced at his watch.

The second hand ticked, and he saw Aizawa retrieve something from his coat. He wasn't fast enough to react, but Soichiro was. Still on the ground, winded from the bullet that hit him in his vest, he had been watching to make sure Light was safe. He had told Matsuda to keep quiet. Matsuda had been confused when he dragged him away but didn't see any bleeding, so he obeyed. The chief wasn't dying, and he trusted him. He needed to.

The second hand ticked to twelve. Light glanced up.

Aizawa was clutching a bloody shoulder, and a piece of folded paper and a pen had fallen to the ground. If his father had missed, he would have been dead.

"I'm... Kira," Aizawa murmured quietly. His eyes widened further in disbelief at what he had just said.

"Shuichi Aizawa," Light ground out, pulling the piece of the Death Note that he'd torn from the night before from his pocket. He started reading from it. Though, he knew exactly what he'd written by memory. "Dies at 7:40 am after the task force and Misa Amane meet in an abandoned warehouse, as instructed. No one else enters and he's distracted by a person he didn't expect to be there. Before his death, if he is Kira, he admits his guilt and the guilt of anyone else involved with Kira or the Death Note, with the exception of Misa Amane, although he states whether or not she's still a threat. After doing so, he suffers a heart attack."

"How...?" Aizawa managed to choke out some of the last words of his free will.

"In the end, it could only be someone who knew the inner workings of the task force," Light said coldly. "You were the one following me from the start. When I reviewed the security footage of the places I'd been and the reports from the FBI agents who surveilled the task force and their families, your unaccounted-for times matched up. You’d been watching me from the beginning, planning to use me as your way out after luring L in. But the biggest mistake you made was killing Naomi Misora." Light paused, his eyes narrowing. "You walked past me when she told me her name. It took me a while to remember, but when my father found the footage at the police station of you walking in at the same time, it was too big to be a coincidence. When I contacted the officers who had been working at the desk that day, they'd said you had asked what she was doing there. You'd referred to her by her name."

Moments passed as Aizawa gripped his chest, already feeling the tightening pain.

"There were only three people... me, and... and... Higuchi. Misa doesn't remember. She's not a threat. She stopped listening to me. She loved you too much. I did it for my daughter," he trembled. "I needed her to grow up in a world that’s safe, where she won’t be in danger. I can’t protect her forever, so when I found the Death Note, I decided to change the world for her instead. The justice system fails too many people. No one... really cares. Not even L. The police fail too many people. All I needed... was Ryuzaki's name!"

"And the answer is to make yourself a god of justice, who puppeteers people as he likes? How delusional. I should have finished you off after you'd hit my face."

"You should understand that—you’re just like me. All you want is justice. That's why you're killing me."

"No," Light murmured, his tone dripping with darkness, and resolute. His grip in L's hair loosened and he swallowed. "I'm killing you because if I don't, you’re going to destroy the world. And mine."

Mogi’s shirt was soaked with blood, though Watari had managed to staunch the flow before rushing him to the hospital. Misa Amane was taken as well, and she was admitted for psychiatric care.

Soichiro stood, bruised and shaken, trying to compose himself after the ordeal. Even though Light had confided in him the previous night, explaining the plan in detail, nothing could have prepared him for the terror of staring down the barrel of a gun held by his own son. 

Matsuda moved through the aftermath, helping clear the area. The media had already arrived. His eyes caught on the stretcher carrying Shuichi Aizawa’s body bag. He stood paralyzed, unsure whether to bow his head or salute in respect. The forensic van started to pull away before he could decide.

Light sat on the steps inside, his arm slung over his knee, trying to catch his breath. Pain radiated from his side, and a bitter, metallic taste lingered in his mouth despite no visible blood. He was alive, but he wasn't sure if he was completely human anymore. Even if it was Kira's, he'd just taken a life.

L approached slowly, having ensured the others were taken care of. His gaze locked onto Light. "So," he began, his voice a quiet murmur, "was yesterday just a way to push me away? Or do you really have nothing left to say?"

Light’s reply was laced with bitterness. "What’s left to say? Misa was right... I became Kira."

L stared at him, his expression unreadable, the silence between them thick.

"Do you remember how many lives were lost during this case?" L finally spoke. "Innocent lives, I mean. If this were a competition, I would have much more blood on my hands. But on that note, you're very good at acting like a completely unreasonable psychopath."

"When did you realize?"

"When you asked me about the promise. Although I had my suspicions a little before that..."

Light side-eyed him.

"And maybe," L continued, his voice softer now, almost vulnerable, "I’m not the person you’d want beside you, either."

Light’s fists clenched, "Don't you dare—"

"End us?" L’s tone was almost mocking, but there was a deep sadness beneath it.

"Fuck you, L. That’s not funny."

"Revenge... justice... they all come at a cost," L murmured, his voice hollow. "But now, your name is cleared. You’re still here, Light."

Light stared at him, the weight of L's words pressing down on him. "You’re alive," he breathed out.

L hesitated, "You once mentioned something about a coffee shop... walking around Tokyo..."

"I don't think I can even stand right now, let alone walk."

L hesitated, his voice barely an uncertain whisper. "Then just the coffee shop?"

The sound of his voice echoed in the empty building. He cautiously reached for Light’s shaking hand. 

Chapter Text

Two Years and Four Months Later

Light's apartment was dark when he stumbled inside, the buzz of alcohol still lingering in his veins. His graduation ceremony had been nothing but a cacophony of forced well-wishes, laughter, and hollow praise. He had done it. He had finished university. Top of his class. Perfect scores. But none of it mattered.

He turned on the kettle, its quiet hum filling the silence, then carelessly kicked off his shoes. His keys hit the kitchen bench with a dull clink, and he slumped against the counter. He should feel something—pride, maybe. Accomplishment. Instead, he felt empty.

When he finally looked up, he froze.

There, in the shadowy room, stood a figure. The dim moonlight from his ninth-floor window barely illuminated him, but the familiarity of his slouched posture sent a shock of recognition through Light's body.

"L…?" Light breathed, his voice wavering between disbelief and anger. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. How long had it been? Almost two-and-a-half years since Kira. Almost two-and-a-half years since L had walked out of his life without a single word after they'd gone to a coffee shop following Kira's defeat.

L's eyes glinted in the dim light, but his expression remained stoic. His dark hair was slightly shorter, and his usual attire had been swapped for dark tracksuit pants but the same white shirt. His old Converse were still on his feet, and they hadn't changed at all. They were still loose, slightly battered, and undone.

"Light," L greeted, his voice as steady and calm as ever.

Light's breath hitched. He had thought this moment, if it ever came, would feel different—more satisfying, more… something. But all he felt was confusion, hurt, and anger rising in his chest.

"You didn't even say goodbye," Light muttered, his voice sharp but quiet.

L's gaze flickered briefly to the drawing he'd been looking at on the shelf behind the sofa—a sketch of him that Light had drawn during the Kira case, years ago. The edges were crumpled. L picked it up, his fingers tracing the lines, before setting it back down.

"I wanted to congratulate you," L said softly, his eyes returning to Light. "You graduated today, didn't you? Although it seems you've already celebrated."

Light's jaw tightened. He dropped his bag, the diploma inside crumpling as it hit the floor with a dull thud. "What are you doing here, L?"

L's dark eyes regarded him, calm and calculating as ever. "I thought I just said—"

"No." Light's voice cut through the air like a knife. "What are you really doing here?"

L shifted, his hands sliding into his pockets. For a moment, Light thought he wouldn't answer, but then—

"I needed to wait," L said, his tone quieter now, almost hesitant.

"Wait for what?" Light demanded, stepping closer. His socks made no sound on the timber floor, but his heart pounded loudly enough to fill the silence.

"Until I could look at you and not see Kira anymore." L's voice was steady, but there was an undertone of something deeper. Regret. Pain. "Even at the end… I couldn't let go of that."

Light's lips parted in shock, the anger he'd been suppressing beginning to crack through the surface. "You didn't even say anything. You just left." His voice trembled with restrained emotion. "You disappeared." He'd risked his life for L. He'd even killed for L. And L had just left. Of all people, L had contacted Matsuda twice but to Light, he hadn't even sent a text.

"Ah - Ryuzaki and you don't talk anymore?" Matsuda had asked him.

"No," Light had said flatly. 

"But weren't you guys—?"

"If you're still talking with him, then why don't you ask Ryuzaki."

L didn't look away. "I didn't know if I'd ever be able to, so I didn't want to give you false hope."

"Maybe that would have been better than no hope." Light swallowed hard, his voice thick with the hurt he'd been burying. "And now?"

L's silence felt like a weight between them, heavy and unspoken. Light's fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to hit him. He wanted to scream at him for leaving without a word. To go back to that coffee shop just to throw his coffee in L's face. But at the same time, all he wanted was to drag him closer, to feel that connection between them again.

"I also have a proposal," L said, shifting the conversation abruptly. "A job offer."

"A job?" Light's eyes narrowed, disbelief creeping into his voice. "You came here to offer me a job?"

L nodded, his expression unreadable. "Now that you've graduated... it would involve relocation. To England. Potentially long stays in Italy, depending on the case."

Light circled around the sofa as L subtly mirrored his movement, keeping distance between them. "Relocation?" He arched a brow. "Does this relocation include accommodation?"

L's lips twitched, just barely. "A live-in house. Office space. Sometimes luxury hotels."

"And my own bedroom?" Light pressed, stepping forward. L instinctively stepped back, maintaining the distance between them.

"Negotiable," L replied. "But not preferable."

Light's gaze sharpened, his voice low. "Would I be the only person you're involved with?"

L blinked, taken aback for the briefest of moments. "At all times. Why? Are you involved with someone now?"

Light took another step, the tension between them thickening with every word. "Would it bother you if I were?"

L's dark eyes glinted. "A simple yes or no would suffice."

"No," Light bit out, the single word heavy with unspoken desire and frustration. "We never exactly broke up, did we?"

L moved cautiously around the sofa, his movements deliberate, as though they were circling prey. Light stopped, realizing that this dance they were doing—this constant back and forth—was endless.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Light whispered, his voice raw with the weight of almost two-and-a-half years of unanswered questions. "If I accept… will you leave without a word again?"

L stepped closer this time, his gaze softening. "No."

The certainty in L's voice undid him. Light's throat tightened, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. Fuck. He blinked rapidly, trying to suppress them, but it was useless.

L moved even closer, his eyes locked on Light's, no longer filled with suspicion but with something that resembled… apology. Light reached out, his hand resting on the back of L's neck, pulling him forward.

The kiss was sudden, heated, and desperate. Light's lips crashed against L's, and L tasted the champagne still lingering on his breath. They stumbled back, tripping over their feet, but Light wasn't going to let him go this time. His hands fisted into L's shirt, pulling him toward the bedroom.

"You still didn't tell me your name," Light whispered breathlessly as they fell onto the bed. "Unless you want me to shout out your alias?" His lips were hovering just over L's, teasingly close.

L smirked, a rare flash of amusement in his eyes. "My name was always L," he murmured, his voice low. His fingers traced the scar at Light's side. Now completely healed. He felt Light shiver beneath his touch, and years cascaded into only moments. "L Lawliet."

Chapter Text

The plane lifted off smoothly, the engines humming as Light glanced back at the disappearing city below. Haneda Airport had been its usual bustle of life, yet the private terminal where he had said goodbye to his family felt insulated from the world’s noise. His mother’s arms had wrapped around him tightly, her tears soaking into his jacket.

"I'm sorry," Soichiro had told Sachiko the day after Light returned home, following the end of Kira’s reign. Soichiro had expected her to faint upon seeing their son alive. Instead, she gripped the sofa with both hands, her knuckles white as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Light..." Her voice had broken as she hesitantly reached out, her fingers brushing against his face like she couldn’t believe he was real. Her eyes darted across his features, flickering between relief, sadness, despair, and finally—joy. "My son," she sobbed, pulling him into her arms. 

"I'm home, Mom," he murmured, voice cracking slightly.

Sachiko hadn't blamed Soichiro. Instead, she had listened to his explanation quietly, holding his hand as more tears fell. "I trust you... that you did what was right," she had whispered softly.

Watching the way his mother clung to his father, Light had realized just how much he had taken for granted. He had never paid attention to the quiet strength of their relationship—how they navigated through crises with unspoken support. 

Sayu, on the other hand, had struggled to let go of him. “We even went to your funeral,” she sobbed into his chest, shaking with emotion. “Light, you’re the best brother. I missed you so much.”

It had been overwhelming, after everything that had happened. And for once, Light didn’t have words.

“Your injury, Light,” his mother had asked, voice still trembling. “Is it serious?”

Light had brushed it off. “I'm fine,” he said. "I just need to take medication and restrict my movements."

"I hope that person was worth protecting," Sachiko had said, her voice soft but probing.

"Yeah... He is."

A coffee shop. Light frowned, the memory feeling strangely detached from reality. It had been a reckless decision, choosing to sit in a café after killing a man, but he had needed the distraction. His hands had been shaking the entire time. L had been silent since that day—no calls, no messages. Nothing.

‘You’re staying in Tokyo for a while, right?’ Light had texted him. No reply. ‘Can we talk?’ Still nothing. ‘Whatever. Take your time.’

He kept the phone Watari had given him during the Kira investigation close. It was his only link to L, a tether. He couldn’t bring himself to return it, not until he saw L again.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks stretched into months, and L’s silence remained a constant ache in the back of Light’s mind. 

'Are you even still in Japan?' Light’s texts had grown sharper, his frustration building.

“He’s not replying,” Light had told his father, bitterness seeping into his voice. “Do you know what’s happened to him?”

Soichiro had sighed, pushing his glasses up with the familiar gesture. "No one knows. But," his father paused, trying to choose his words carefully, "he has a lot of responsibilities."

"Fine," Light had snapped. "So do I. I still need to finish university, anyway." He crossed his arms, a defensive gesture that betrayed his mounting frustration.

"You and Ryuzaki come from different places," Soichiro had said gently. "Different worlds."

Light had swallowed hard, refusing to meet his father’s gaze, the knot in his throat making it impossible to respond.

University life felt like an endless loop. Days blended together, monotonous and hollow. Light had continued calling and texting for months, though each unanswered message left a bitter taste in his mouth. Girls approached him, flirting and laughing, but he turned them away. Every time, a thought crept in—would starting a relationship with someone else bring L back, even out of jealousy? Probably not.

But the silence persisted, gnawing at him with each passing day.

“Oh, Ryuzaki called yesterday!” Matsuda had said casually, like it wasn’t a bombshell of information dropped out of nowhere.

“He called?” Light had been genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, just checking in. Asked how Yumi is doing. I told him I’d look in on her.”

Yumi. Aizawa's daughter. Light had felt his stomach twist, an uncomfortable reminder of Aizawa’s family and the wreckage left behind. "What else did you talk about?"

The bar had been quiet that night, the sound of light chatter in the background as Light lifted the glass of beer to his lips, though the alcohol did little to ease the tightness in his chest. Nothing he'd tried, did.

Matsuda had shrugged. “Well, he asked about Misa.”

“Misa?” Light’s voice had darkened, anger seeping into his tone.

Matsuda had blinked, clearly sensing the shift. “Ah—Ryuzaki and you don’t talk anymore?”

“No.”

“But weren’t you guys—” Matsuda had hesitated, not wanting to pry too deeply.

“If you're still talking with him, then why don’t you ask Ryuzaki?” Light had replied coldly, his patience wearing thin.

Light woke with a start as the private plane hit a patch of turbulence, disoriented for a moment before the familiar hum of the engines grounded him. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was alone in his seat, but across, L stood by the window, his silhouette outlined by the soft glow of the setting sun. Earphones in, L appeared lost in thought, staring out at the clouds.

It was the first time Light had ever flown on a private flight, and the experience felt strangely surreal—detached from reality. The world below seemed distant, like it couldn’t touch him up here, in this suspended state.

On the oak table in front of him lay a book, one L had been reading: 'Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid'. Next to it sat L’s laptop. Light picked up the book absentmindedly, flipping through the pages, his mind elsewhere.

“Coffee?” Watari’s voice broke the silence after a while, startling Light.

He glanced up. “Um—yeah. Thanks.”

Watari’s expression softened as he poured the coffee. “Stubborn,” he muttered quietly.

“Huh?” Light frowned, unsure if he had heard correctly.

“L is,” Watari clarified, his tone conspiratorial. “I told him many times he needed to contact you, but he refused. Said it wasn’t my concern. I found seven hundred and twenty-nine drafts in his email. Roughly the number of days since the case ended.”

Light’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face. "Seven hundred and twenty-nine?" he echoed, the revelation sinking in. L had thought about reaching out.

Watari nodded, setting the coffee cup down in front of him. “I saved them. Just in case.”

Light stared at the older man, torn between surprise and something that stirred uneasily in his chest. “Send them to me.”

“As you wish,” Watari smiled, stepping back, leaving Light to process.

Rising from his seat, Light crossed the plane and approached L, who was still by the window, lost in whatever song was playing in his earphones. Without a word, Light slipped one earphone out and placed it in his own ear. He blinked in surprise at the song— a band his sister used to listen to.

"Arashi?" Light asked, raising an eyebrow. "This song was popular a few years ago."

"Yes." L's lips were something Light allowed himself to stare at now. "Wedy recommended it. It's been stuck in my head ever since."

Light hummed the melody before softly singing along, letting the familiar notes linger in the quiet space between them.

L stared at him, the moment hanging in the air.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" L asked softly. Perhaps even jealously.

Light’s smile faded slightly, caught off guard by the sincerity in L’s eyes. "I'm sure you'll find something. I still haven't forgiven you, even though I'm smiling. I’m planning my revenge."

"And you wonder why I never believed you weren’t the perfect Kira," L said, his tone monotonous but sharp.

Light leaned back, crossing his arms. “I want to put a ban on that topic.”

"Alright," L agreed, as if he had been expecting it. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Light switched to English abruptly, "If you live in England and were born there, why don't you have the accent? It’s been annoying me since we were brushing our teeth two and a half years ago."

L blinked. "Hm," he placed his thumb on his lower lip, thinking. "I got used to adapting my accent for the purpose of international communication. A more neutral one served a better purpose."

"You mean it’s not your real one?" Light narrowed his eyes slightly, intrigued.

"No."

Light turned his body slightly, resting his arms on the windowsill, eyes tracing the endless clouds outside. The sun was high, casting soft rays across the plane, making it feel like they were floating in a world far removed from everything below. "Then say something to me," he said quietly, his voice almost lost in the hum of the engines.

There was a pause, as if L were weighing the request. His hands slipped into the pockets of his trousers. “I read your letter to me, the one you intended me to read if you died, the same night you wrote it. I realized you were probably about to do something irrational.”

L’s real voice—soft and deep with a refined British accent—was better than anything Light had imagined. The words sank into the quiet air between them, and for a moment, Light forgot where he was. He simply listened, letting L’s voice pull him away from reality.

Light blinked, his mind catching up to the gravity of what L had just said. "You counted the paper?" 

"Of course." L’s eyes searched Light’s face, hesitant to reveal more. "And... in regards to the letter, I probably do too."

Light’s smirk returned, slowly curving his lips upward. He lifted his palm, feigning innocence. "Do what?"

"I'm not going to say it," L replied.

"Why?"

"I don't think I deserve to say it yet."

"Yet?" Light echoed, his amusement growing as he leaned in slightly. "I'm going to put as a condition in my employment contract that you do. Or I'm not going to sign."

L looked startled, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second before he composed himself. "You expected a contract?"

"What if I want to take a vacation?" Light mused, "France isn't that far from England, after all. Maybe I'll ask Matsuda to go with me. I know he also still wants to go on one."

"Matsuda?" L repeated, his tone slightly sharper than before, though he masked it well. "Why—? Light, I contacted him because I was concerned about Aizawa’s family after the Kira case. Particularly the girl. He was checking up on them."

Light shrugged, passing the earphone back to L. "I’ll need Christmas off," he added, nonchalant. "Also, I want to change the laundry detergent. That old one Watari used was terrible. It smelled like bleach and faded almost all my clothes."

"Is that why you almost never wore the same ones twice?" L mumbled. But just as Light began to turn away, he reached out, his hand wrapping around Light’s wrist with unexpected firmness.

Light froze at the contact, his heart suddenly pounding louder in his chest.

“Then, seeing as I can’t break employment laws and ask you not to take a Christmas vacation with another person,” L said slowly, his voice dropping, “I would like to make another proposal. If you're my boyfriend, I can ask you not to.”

L's words hung in the air like a challenge. It wasn’t the confession Light expected, but it was exactly what he wanted.

A slow, satisfied smile spread across Light’s face.

"I guess you're right," Light said quietly, turning fully to face L, their faces mere inches apart. "And that also means you can't just disappear for over two years at a time, either."

L met his gaze, unflinching. "A maximum of two days."

"One," Light countered, his tone decisive. "You need to tell me before you go anywhere for longer."

L’s lips twitched slightly, a rare expression of amusement ghosting across his face. "Fine. Then I expect the same."

In one fluid movement, Light stepped closer, backing L against the wall of the plane, and Light’s hand hovered near L’s face, fingers barely brushing the side of his jaw. His voice dropped lower, as his eyes locked with L’s. "This is really what you were asking when you broke into my apartment, wasn’t it?"

“I agree it was rather obvious,” L admitted softly, his voice a quiet surrender. “As were your hesitations.”

Even though Light hated that his heart raced as he did, he leaned in, letting his lips brush against L’s.

"There are many types of monsters in this world: Monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble; monsters who abduct children; monsters who devour dreams; monsters who suck blood; and monsters who always tell lies."

L's voice drifted across the room. He was crouched on the sofa, the dim light casting long shadows over his form, a microphone perched in front of him. 

Light found his thoughts momentarily pulled back to the Kira case at L's words. The memory was never far, lingering in the edges of his mind. As he stood by the door, the steam from the cup of tea in his hand curled up into his face, mixing with the cool, damp air from the rain outside.

"You must be careful of such monsters," L continued. "And learn to treasure your life, because it can be taken away at any moment."

The rain beat steadily against the windows, the sound a soft backdrop to L’s voice. Winchester's weather was something Light had grown used to; a far cry from the oppressive summers and winters of Tokyo. He didn’t miss those extremes. Instead, he'd found himself collecting sweaters.

When L finally closed the laptop and tried to leave the room, Light pressed a folder to his chest. L blinked slowly, his mind clearly wandering elsewhere.

"Updates on the Crestmore case. They’ve taken three suspects into custody."

"Thank you," L muttered, barely acknowledging the information as he glanced at the file.

Light handed him the migraine medication next, along with the cup of tea. L took them gratefully, swallowing the pills with a sip of the tea, his hand brushing against Light’s. Then, without warning, L leaned in, his lips pressing softly but tiredly against Light’s. The weight of his exhaustion from taking on nine cases as well as giving a lecture weighed on him, and in the next instant, he allowed himself to fall into Light, his body giving in to the gravity between them.

"I love you, you know," L mumbled, his voice barely audible as his head rested on Light’s shoulder.

Light froze, almost unsure if he had heard correctly. He raised an eyebrow. "Is this... a side effect of the medication?"

L grinned, though it was small and fleeting. "No. Unlike someone, I don’t need to be heavily medicated to admit my feelings." Though, L knew, he hadn't been entirely aware that he had feelings left to be felt before they'd met.

Light glared at him, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Well," he muttered, "I guess I'll take it. I love you too. But one day, I'm still going to get my revenge."

"You’ve been saying that for three years."

"Yeah," Light murmured, burying his face in L’s hair. The weight of L’s words touched him more deeply than he cared to admit. "I just need to make it perfect."

"This is," L said softly into Light’s shirt, his voice muffled. He couldn’t quite bring himself to meet Light’s gaze in this moment either. Then he lifted a finger as if in afterthought. "Minus the migraine."

"Then go to bed. And sleep," Light told him. "Let me know where to pick up from."

The sincerity in Light’s words, which had been the first real hint of his care for L, was not lost on him. L let out a tired sigh and pressed his head closer. "Light Yagami... You say that as if you’re not the main reason for my lack of sleep."