Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Keep Your Friends Close But Your Enemies Closer ❯ Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Raito opened his eyes, immediately alert. There was light shining through the window of the hotel room he was still in, and a blanket was lying gently atop him. He sat up slowly, glancing around the room, checking to see if it was really empty. Sighing with frustration, he tore the blanket off himself and charged out of the room and into the busy morning street. How could he have expected to get the information out of L in a single night? Not that it mattered, of course. Raito naturally always had a back-up plan.

Now, he thought to himself as he exited the building, Plan Two is about to begin…

Fishing his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed L's number, glaring at a teenage girl on the street when she stopped to hit on him. L answered on the third ring.

“Moshi-moshi.”

“Hello, Ryuuzaki,” Raito said in a sweet voice, the sounds playing on his lips for a moment.

“Oh, Yagami-kun, I had fun last night. Will we be doing it again soon?” L actually sounded hopeful. Raito only just barely held back a snort.

“Why yes, Ryuuzaki-kun. I was in fact calling you about just that! How about we go to…oh, I don't know…the movies? I have two tickets to one I've been wanting to see…”

Ryuuzaki seemed to be contemplating this offer, as he hesitated a second before answering. “The Kira case is not yet solved, Yagami-kun. We need to concentrate on that first.”

Despite this answer, Raito already knew that he had L in the palm of his hand. “You're always such a hard worker! It'll only be three hours after the work day's ended!”

There was a short contemplative silence on the other line.

Raito spoke again. “Please?” He really did remind himself of Misa, which normally would have deeply disturbed him, but now it was all for the “Kill That Bastard L” cause. And he would do anything for the “Kill That Bastard L” cause.

“Well…alright, Yagami-kun.”

“Great!” Raito actually was truly delighted, although more for the fact that L would soon be cold and rotting in a coffin than any real pleasure to have to spend an evening with him. “I'll even get us some dessert afterwards!”

“Dessert! What time should I meet you?” L was now noticeably more excited.

“Seven, at the Cinema Square Tokyu. See you there!” He hung up without waiting for an answer. He was almost at the Kira HQ anyway. And frankly, he didn't really care if L replied. Raito wouldn't take no. He doubted he could stomach another failure, anyway, although he also doubted he would have to. Plan Two was so brilliant and fail safe that no one but him could've thought it up.

***

While working, he and L mentioned nothing of the previous night nor their plans for later that evening. Misa had approached him on one occasion in the afternoon, planting a kiss on his cheek and hugging him heartily, but he swatted her off with a “not now, I'm working!” Raito thought, somewhat wearily, that things would be easier if the world could just gain some IQ points. Maybe they'd realize that if they just stopped hunting Kira and stopped committing crimes, Raito could stop having to kill people and the entire troublesome Kira investigation could be dissolved. He wouldn't even have to bother with this messy business of seducing L!

Sighing to himself for his whimsical thoughts, he left the building for home, planning on changing clothes before he met with L. He surprised himself with the amount of time he spent arranging his hair; usually he just dashed out and it just naturally fell into perfect array. Now, however, he seemed more vain than usual. Probably just because today will be the glory-filled evening I'll finally start on my brilliantly unstoppable path to kill L, he thought with a smirk.

He arrived at the theater at a quarter of, straightening his expensive jacket and trendy shirt. He had already Fandengo'd the tickets and was now shifting from foot to foot, restless. This surprised him, again, since he usually wasn't nervous at all. Not even when he was in a jail cell, cornered by L, about to be exposed as Kira. He had always relied on his intellect to get him out of such spots, so there was no need for nervousness. Of course, this feeling was probably just anxiousness over what was about to occur.

L was going to fall at Raito's hands. L was going to be exposed, tricked into giving his secret away by none other than Raito himself.

Just as a smile curled onto Raito's lips at this thought, he heard footfalls behind him and turned to see L meandering towards where he was standing. “Ryuuzaki!” Raito called out, intending his malicious smile to appear like he was happy to see L. In a way, he was. His dreams would finally be realized.

“Yagami-kun, how are you?” he said in his usual calm and somewhat eccentric voice.

“Good, good. I trust you are too?” But before L had time to answer, Raito grabbed his arm and led him inside the theater, away from the bustling and noisy nightlife of Tokyo's streets.

L seemed stunned at the touch of Raito's hand, but followed him obligingly enough. Raito could barely contain the desire to roll his eyes at L's daftness when he reminded himself that he had underestimated L before, and that had ended in disaster. No matter how foolish L seemed, he was not to be underestimated.

They sat down quickly in the back row, just as Raito had planned. The theater was already packed, despite their early arrival.

“The picture doesn't start for another fifteen minutes, but I thought it'd just be nice to talk, don't you think?” Raito said, glancing at L for a moment and sending him a beaming smile.

L nodded halfheartedly, entranced in a man with a bright purple mohawk in the row before them.

Raito glared in annoyance. “So, Ryuuzaki…how did you get to be in the detective business?”

L sort of tilted his head to look a little at Raito, seeming not the least bit interested. “I was raised to be one.”

Raito took it as a joke and laughed. L apparently didn't think it was funny at all, for he turned back to stare at the mohawk man and what appeared to be his girlfriend, although she was so covered in piercings she could have been a pincushion.

“Well…I just wanted to help people,” Raito said, attempting once again to engage the man next to him. He leaned against L a little then, grazing his fingers along L's hand. At this, L finally seemed to take notice that Raito was there. His head shot in Raito's direction suddenly, but he said nothing.

Raito once again spoke to fill up the silence that had ensued. “You know, we've been working together a long time now. And we were even handcuffed together for months and months, living side-by-side, but I still feel like I don't know you. Like I don't know the real Ryuuzaki.” He forced his face into what he considered to be a pleading look, and was rewarded when L's forehead creased into thought.

“Yagami-kun, you know everything about me,” he said as he blinked his wide eyes. “We work together every day and, like you said, lived together.”

Raito faked a rueful smile. “But if I'm your best friend, I ought to know more about you than your work side.”

L's eyes grew, if possible, larger. “Best…friend…?”

Raito nodded, and then changed his features to that of horrified shock with himself. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I mean…if you don't think that I'm your best friend, that's fine…But it's just,” he paused for dramatic effect, “you're mine.”

L looked speechless. As if on cue, the movie started rolling and the lights dimmed. Raito added in a hushed voice, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that,” in the seconds before the sound started playing. L had no time to reply.

Good, thought Raito. Let him stew it over.

Throughout the movie, which happened to be a mystery-horror flick, Raito cowered against L, pressing his body to L's whenever possible. L seemed completely engrossed in the movie until about halfway through, when he leaned over to Raito and whispered, “That man there, he's the guilty one.”

Inwardly, Raito made a derisive noise, but he couldn't help wondering how L had known this only halfway through the movie. Misa had already dragged him to this particular film on her idea of a “date”, and it had taken him another scene and a half to figure it out.

Of course, this movie was a complete rag and could never be applied to a real situation. It being utter filth probably had some effect on his mental processes, slowing them down enough to be beaten by L's.

He stifled a yawn as the movie dragged on, using every opportunity available to snuggle up against L. He was extremely relieved when it ended.

“So what did you think of the movie?” Raito asked as they lined up to exit the theater.

L actually smiled a little. “Too easy.” Raito was a little surprised at his answer until he realized L was talking about the supposed “mystery” of the movie.

“Yes, well, things can't all be as hard to solve as the Kira case! Now that would be a nightmare!” Raito laughed, and was mildly surprised to see L smiling with him.

“As promised,” Raito continued, “I'll take you out for some cake.” He tried to smile sweetly.

L's eyes widened to an abnormal size again at the mention of cake. Raito merely sighed. What a simple-minded fool, he thought without his normal scathing mental tone. He would've typically checked his temperature or maybe even his pulse if something like this ever came into his mind, but there was an odd feeling buzzing around his stomach.

He glanced over at L, hoping for a pang of dislike, but merely saw him still smiling at the mention of his favorite sweet. Something about his smile amplified the feeling in Raito's stomach. Shaking his head to clear it, he continued talking.

“Ryuuzaki, I didn't mean to scare you earlier, before the movie,” he tried very hard to look concerned. “But it is the truth.”

The smile was gone from L's face in an instant. “Well, Yagami-kun, since you are my only friend I guess you are my best friend also.”

Raito nodded in response, and for several minutes they walked on in silence.

They finally stopped outside a small, cozy looking modern teashop. “Here's a nice little café I go to sometimes,” Raito said abruptly. This time L nodded in response, although he looks positively greedy at the thought of some cake.

Raito and L sat down at a small corner table in the dimly lit café. A young waitress approached them, looking eagerly at the brown-haired man sitting before her. “What can I get you tonight?” she smiled at him.

Raito's response was a purposeful glare. “I'd like a doubleshot espresso and my friend here would like some strawberry cake,” he said in a flat voice.

“No drink for your, er…friend?” She said, sounding disappointed at the way Raito had emphasized the word.

Raito didn't even bother answering; he simply turned back to L and started chatting about the latest gossip story in the tabloids, which he had researched especially for this mission. L looked wholly uninterested, but it had done the trick and made the waitress leave. As soon as she was out of earshot, Raito struck up the real conversation.

“I know I've said this before, but Ryuuzaki's such a long name…can't I call you something shorter?”

L blinked. “You can call me any name you want, Yagami-kun.” He didn't seem to notice that “any name you want” could be a very bad thing to suggest.

Raito simply smiled. “Well how about Ryuu, then, if you don't object too terribly? I think that's a cute name, and much easier to slip off the tongue.” He smiled just a little.

L was now staring at him very strangely and intently.

“Well, Ryuu, I meant what I said earlier. That we should get to know each other better.”

L just continued to stare.

“I guess I'll start, then.” Raito was becoming annoyed at L's obvious refusal to help him along, and it was hard to keep the annoyance out of his voice. “I was born here in Tokyo, and I've wanted to become a lawyer since I was five. But I guess my obvious need to help the people in this world has somewhat changed my ambition,” he said whimsically, keeping his eyes locked on L the entire time.

Their mutual gaze was finally broken when the waitress returned with the espresso and cake. L tore his eyes away from Raito to stare at his slice, gingerly picking up his fork by the very edge of the handle. Raito sighed and dismissed the waitress, sipping from his drink.

“What did you want to be when you were young, Ryuu?”

L looked up and merely said, “I've told you already, Yagami-kun, I was raised to be a detective.” Raito almost let out his sigh of frustration, but managed to change it into a happy little sigh at the last moment, which probably would've been taken as odd and a bit inappropriate by any person other than L.

“Ryuu, please don't call me that silly Yagami-kun! If we're mutual best friends I should think that you would be comfortable calling me by my first name!” He made an attempt at an offended tone.

“Well, ok, if you want me too Ya-…I mean Raito,” he said between bites of his cake.

“See, that's much better. It feels…cozier.” He tried to smile but had to cough to cover up his sarcastic laughter.

They talked about little else as L finished up his cake and Raito paid the bill. It wasn't until they left the café that L even spoke. “Thank you, Raito. This is the first thing I've ever done with a friend outside work.” He cracked a small, hesitant smile.

Raito took this to mean that L himself was cracking under his genius plan. “Well, we'll have to do it again, won't we? Unless…you want to come over to my place now…” He made his voice casual, almost as if he was nervous about suggesting such a thing.

L's face stayed even. “But what would we do there?” he said curiously.

“Ohhh, I'm sure we could find something to do…” He smiled and had to forcibly suppress an evil leer.

“Well, alright,” L said with some hesitation.

With those two words, Raito knew he had him.

Manic laughter pounded through Raito's head, but he kept his face contorted into a small grin.

***