Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Light and Shadow ❯ Light and Shadow ( Chapter 1 )

Alright, before anyone reads this, I think I should make something kinda clear. I'm a comedian when it comes to writing. The closest to romance I've ever gotten to is a few cliché songfics. So, if this doesn't come out as smexy as you'd hoped, forgive me, I honestly tried. Now, as for how this story is written, this first chapter here is just background info as to how everything comes about…everyone's probably going to skip it to get to the smut, but for me it was more about not wanting to just jump into it so fast…like I said, this is my first time. Anyways, in the norm for anything I write, read it, like it, love it (please?), and as always review it! We writers like to know that we're not talking to ourselves out here!

 

 

The school day had seemed unusually long. The midterms were coming up and every teacher had found it their duty to go through all of the material taught to them since fall. Considering that Light knew he was going to ace his exams, he'd been completely bored through all of their monotonous speeches. Even his favorite subject, Chemistry (despite his strong detective skills, he'd always been fascinated with science), had dragged on interminably. You probably couldn't have found a happier person that day when the clock struck 3pm at To-Oh University.

 

As he slowly left the building, his eyes traveled heavens-ward. The sky was a deep gray, the constant shade of winter. Yet despite it being mid-November, there had only been a few snowfalls, but they had melted within a few hours. Talk about your global warming, he thought bitterly. He needed the snow. It had such a profound way of deadening everything…

 

Then another thought came to him…his father and the rest of the task force would be expecting him at headquarters today. A piece of him didn't want to go. It was bad enough that that damn dark-eyed psychotic looking Ryuzaki had gotten half of the people there to believe he might be Kira. But to not go with such an important investigation going on would surely raise suspicions. Then again…would it look so awkward if he skipped a few meetings? He could pull the “I was studying” excuse. That wouldn't be unreasonable.

 

And yet at the same time…said sleep-deprived detective had seemed to have suddenly changed somehow and Light felt that he himself had something to do with it. It wasn't a change that anyone else had picked up, at least he didn't think so. But it was subtle enough to kind of scream for attention, if you understand.

 

For example, Ryuzaki, or L, now rarely ever spoke to him. Everyone at the taskforce knew their levels of intelligence were about equal to each other's and figured that they'd be friends (strangely, Light's own father had been somewhat pushing this, figuring that Light's lack of a social life came from not having anyone to really relate with). Yet now L kept all of his attention on the monitor screens in the room, and only gave short replies to Light's attempts at conversation. He did have to keep up friendly appearances himself…and, truthfully, L probably wouldn't make a bad friend.

 

As Light walked, he flipped up his coat collar against the biting cold winds and tried to remember when all of the changes might've begun.

_ _ _

 

It had been roughly two weeks ago, back when they were still using hotels for their meetings. When Light had entered the room that day, L was nowhere to be found. That in itself wasn't too unusual. The guy obviously didn't care too much for the company that he'd been all but forced to accept. And often, despite the room being full of people, he liked to work by himself at his laptop.

 

But today the laptop lay closed on the coffee table, the Cloister Black “L” on its cover staring up at the ceiling. Absentmindedly, Light brushed his hand along the computer. It was cold. Meaning L hadn't used it in quite some time…

 

He'd asked Watari if he'd seen him, a normal question, or so he could only hope. The old man shook his head and mumbled something about him “Being there just a moment ago,” then offered him some ice cream. Light dismissed both his lie and the sweet treat.

 

As casually as he could make it, he asked the rest of the task force. Each in turn said no, and his father told him that L hadn't been in the room that they were using for the investigation all day.

 

Now Light was really confused. He figured L had put finding Kira above all else, why was he not there in the action, giving out orders, his usual way of conducting business? Then again…all until recently, he'd solved all of his cases from behind the scenes. Was it really that strange for him not to be there for just one day?

 

Light finally just shrugged it off and told the others that he was going down to the food bar for a bite to eat. Checking to make sure no one saw him exiting the room (not as if surveillance wouldn't see him anyways…), he headed toward the elevators at the end of the hall.

 

He was on the sixth floor and it wouldn't be but a minute until he reached ground level. Still, the tight space around him made him uncomfortable. A secret about himself that nobody knew (not counting the fact that he indeed was Kira) was that he was claustrophobic. A closed room was no problem. Tight quarters with no exit? It made him feel suffocated.

 

Moments later, the elevator made a ding sound and the door slid open. Light stepped out and strolled quite casually to the far end of the hotel that housed a large restaurant. High walls separated the eating tables that were against the walls, decorated with a lining of faux leaves and foliage.

 

He had his heart set on lasagna for some reason…Such a messy food (messy if not eaten with utmost care) didn't seem to fit his perfect persona but that's what allured him to it. It was another secret to call his own and he hoped to keep it that way.

 

But just as he was passing by a booth, something caught his attention. A pair of eyes were following him. As nonchalantly as he could, he glanced over his shoulder. There, L sat at a table in the shadows, his head somewhat bowed and shadowed not only from the plants but from his hair also. Still, Light could make out the dark orbs glittering faintly.

 

 

Should he keep walking? That would probably only make L follow him…as he used to do at school. He made up his mind to do some “friendly banter” with him so as not to appear rude. Not that L seemed like the kind of person to care too much about something like that…

 

“Konnichiwa, Ryuzaki,” Light said with a smile on his face.

 

“And konnichiwa to you, Light-kun,” L said quietly, his eyes now trained on the slice of cake in front of him. Holding his fork in that delicate way that was his trademark, he only probed at the food, seeming to not want to take a bite.

 

Light almost spoke of it until a waiter came to their table. “Oh, I see you have company sir!” he said to L, who only continued to play with his dessert. “And may I get anything for you?” he asked Light.

 

Light considered ordering that lasagna he had been craving, but thought against it. Besides, it was more of a dinner dish and it was only the middle of the afternoon. “Oh, I'll just have…whatever he's eating.” Light said

 

L flicked his eyes over him for just a moment before turning them downward again.

 

“Very well sir. Excellent choice,” The waiter said and walked off.

 

“Wasn't aware that you liked sweets,” L said in a voice one octave away from being a whisper.

 

Light shrugged nonchalance. “Who doesn't like sweets? A guy's allowed to have a slice of cake now and then, isn't he?” He smiled to let him know that he wasn't being serious.

 

“Hm,” was all L said, continuing to poke the frosting.

 

“Er, what are you doing?” Light asked him. This wasn't the Ryuzaki he knew…not that he really knew much of anything about him.

 

 

“Eating. Same as you're about to be.” L said quietly, stirring a spoon in his tea. Light wondered if he was going to add any sugar cubes to it, or if he had done so already.

 

“You don't look like you're eating much to me,” Light stated, gesturing toward the slice of cake that hadn't been touched. “Um…are you feeling okay? Everyone said that they haven't seen you all day. Not that I'm trying to prod or anything…”

 

L sighed. “I didn't think a moment to myself would go so noticed. Is it a crime to want to be by myself?” Something inside him flinched when he said those last two words. By himself? He'd actually grown somewhat used to having company, especially a certain person's company…

 

The waiter chose that time to return with Light's cake. He asked L if he would like a refill of fresh, hot tea, but the detective turned it down. Now Light's curiosity as to his current state of mind was truly piqued. To prefer cold tea over hot tea was simply not L's way. Light knew that much.

 

“Okay, what's this all about, Ryuzaki? You suddenly seem so depressed! Please tell me it isn't Kira related. That's never stopped your weird habits before.”

 

Oops. He'd actually spoken that last line aloud, which was meant to only be a thought in his head. Such mistakes were very rare for Light, but even he had his slip-ups.

 

L narrowed his eyes angrily, then jumped from his seat. He paused for just a moment to slip his feet into a pair of shoes that he'd ditched under the table, then stalked off in a random direction.

 

Light quickly rummaged in his pocket and produced a few bills, slipping them under his plate before rushing off to catch up with L. “You're going the wrong way! The taskforce is in the other direction.”

 

“I'm not going there. I'm going to my own room.” L paused and whipped around to glare at him. Though…that glare looked slightly pathetic, like he was only using it for a cover for something else…

 

“Is there any reason why you're following me?” L asked, still leveling Light with shadowed eyes.

 

Light shook his head in confusion. “What is it with you today? You don't show up at headquarters, you refuse to eat the sweets everyone knows you treasure, then you storm off at the smallest insult. You don't make it that hard to figure out something isn't quite right.”

 

The detective gave a heavy sigh, then shook his own head sadly. “Yes, I'm quite sure everyone is so concerned with me. Coming from you Light-kun, that's almost laughable.”

 

Light wasn't going to lie and act like that didn't sting a bit. Yes, maybe L was trying to ruin all that he wanted in the world, but under different circumstances, it's no doubt that they could've been great friends.

 

L didn't wait for an answer, but turned back around and continued to amble down the hallway to his room. Light made to follow, but stopped himself. L was beyond his help now.

 

__ __ __

 

Light had reached the skyscraper for the new HQ. He went through the security procedures without really thinking about each step, he'd done it so many times it was almost second nature. Instead, he wondered if L was going to avoid him yet again today. The man couldn't be so sensitive about his weird habits—Damnit, there it goes again—that he'd go to such lengths to make sure their paths didn't cross, though they still worked in the same room.

 

The brunette sighed. This was getting very tiresome; he hated being ignored. He'd get to the bottom of this, one way or another. He'd make it his own little investigation… Two can play this game, L.