Goodnight Moon

Chapter Title: The Stranger



Disclaimer: Death Note =/= mine. Volume 7 would have gone a liiittle bit differently.



Rating: PG 13 (For language and brief... well... battle-snogging.)



Pairing: L / Light



Warning(s): Contains spoilers for manga 1 - some-number-lower-than-7 but still including the Yotsuba arc, and however that relates to the anime.



Comment: I've been waiting for this chapter for a while! Hope you like it. Also, I finally got around to updating my story summary... It only took two months!



Thanks for coming back, Riven, and this one has a bit more. Sadly, not enough...



ninetailedfoxx852, thank you very much! I've been trying to keep them at least semi-IC. Tension is always more fun to me than jumping into a story without some background.



-----



Little more than a week later Light sat in front of his computer terminal, chin resting on the back of his hand and gaze unseeingly fixed on the screen. Beside him, Ryuuzaki had carelessly shoved his own keyboard aside to indulge in a piece of cake without distraction-- but for once, Light found that his mind was occupied with larger things than whether the detective was going to attempt to kiss him in his sleep again (it had happened twice more, but each time Light had woken instinctively and defended himself) or if he was going to be accused of being Kira.



He had begun to doubt his own innocence.



Because, if you looked at the situation logically... Light found that his argument for not being Kira was so thin that if the circumstances were reversed he would be certain of his own guilt. As it was, the only defense he had was that he knew that he was right-- he would remember killing thousands of people. Of course he would-- to forget something like that would make him insane. If it were Ryuuzaki in his own position, however... He wouldn't believe him.



There was evidence linking the second Kira to Misa. Misa's obsessive loyalty to Light mirrored perfectly the second Kira's loyalty to and support of Kira. She had met Light on the 22nd at Aoyama-- exactly as the second Kira had implied. She still couldn't remember how she had learned Light's name that day, or why she had fallen in love with him at first sight.



Light could remember meeting Raye Penber on the bus ride to Space Land, and getting his identity-- and the fact that this was due to a reported criminal who subsequently died attacking the bus that Light was on was incredibly suspicious. On top of that, Light remembered meeting with Raye's fiance Naomi-- even that he'd talked with her about her theory on Kira being able to kill with means other than heart attacks. However, he hadn't given the theory any extra thought until he and Ryuuzaki had discovered it for themselves-- in fact, he'd almost forgotten about Naomi entirely, in spite of the fact that she'd gone missing under suspicious circumstances. Those last two facts even Ryuuzaki didn't know, and even without them he was convinced of Light's guilt.



Everything in the Kira case up until his own self-imprisonment fit perfectly into the theory that Light was Kira, and Misa was the second Kira. But to believe that, Light would have to take on faith the idea that something could give him the power to kill a person knowing only their face and name, and that he would have used this power to try to reform the world-- and then had turned himself in, after which point that mysterious power had left him and taken parts of his memory with it to find a new wielder of the death-giving power. That was so ridiculous he could barely consider it-- why would he turn himself in, if he had been Kira?



The answer was obvious. He must have known the power would leave, or been convinced that he could act innocent long enough to avoid being a suspect any longer; maybe he'd been afraid that he would be caught, and wanted to clear his name in an obvious way that could leave no doubt. But even that was ridiculous... for the first several weeks, there were no new deaths while he and Misa were under surveillance. If he wanted to prove himself innocent, he'd have been able to find a better plan than that.



Which left Ryuuzaki's other theory... that there was another Kira out there, a mastermind who'd controlled both Light and Misa, making them act as separate Kira and then causing them to be captured, before erasing their memories and leaving them powerless.



Light frowned darkly. That theory made him into a puppet, and the level of intelligence it would take to not only outthink Ryuuzaki but Light at the same time was beyond imagining. That sort of mind would have left a mark somewhere, and he'd seen no signs of it. Besides, the idea of being so helpless to another's whims offended him to the center of his being-- he would rather that he had been the original Kira than some mere pawn in a larger game.



That thought stopped him. He would rather have been Kira...? He would rather that he'd made the decision over and over to kill so many people, even those FBI agents, than that he had been forced to by a larger power? That sort of arrogance and childish megalomania was exactly the profile of the original Kira. The deaths that had occurred with the first Kira fit into the scheme of justice that he could see himself acting upon...



There was no doubt. No room for mistake. Light must be Kira... Which was why Light was sitting frustrated, because he knew that he was not. All evidence, all logic, had to be wrong in order for him to be right, and yet he knew that he couldn't do what Kira had done and not remember, and not be changed, and show no signs aside from a little memory loss that anything at all had happened.



Turning his head slightly, Light wasn't surprised to see Ryuuzaki staring at him fixedly, cake forgotten. When the older man asked him what was wrong, and why he looked so serious, Light managed a tired smile and a shrug.



"It's nothing. I just got tired from looking at the monitor so long."



He couldn't explain his thoughts to Ryuuzaki. The detective would just insist that he couldn't defend himself because he really was Kira. The man was too stubborn for words-- he always had to be right.



And in this case, Light knew that he couldn't really argue, and that maybe that was why he got so angry when Ryuuzaki continued to accuse him of being Kira.



Still, he certainly wasn't going to give Ryuuzaki the satisfaction of knowing that.



---



"Ugh... What a long day..." Light sighed. Entering the suite's bedroom, he rubbed his neck. In one day, Matsuda had gotten himself caught by Yotsuba and then 'killed', somehow turning the entire mess into a way to narrow a search of Yotsuba employees that numbered almost 300,000 people into eight prime suspects for a connection to the third Kira. "I'm still amazed it was Matsuda-san who managed it..."



Shuffling in after Light, Ryuuzaki peered at the other man, discarding the hat from the EMS uniform he was still wearing after he and Light's farce at being ambulance drivers. "...Matsuda-san is the only one I would not have trouble believing would try something that impulsive."



"Impulsive and stupid, you mean. He could have ruined everything, and gotten himself killed." Light lifted his hand to forestall the possible argument. "And yes, that would have definitely pinned Yotsuba as having a connection to Kira, but I don't believe that would be worth Matsuda's death-- we knew it was Yotsuba already from the too-helpful deaths of the other companies." Going to his dresser and dragging Ryuuzaki along carelessly, Light set his own hat more neatly on top of the dresser, unbuttoning the uniform's shirt and then holding his left wrist back for Ryuuzaki to unlock. Ryuuzaki obliged without comment, and began to change himself as well.



Throughout the day, the only times Light was allowed to go without the chain were for the brief periods when he would dress or undress, and in the shower-- though Ryuuzaki would insist on at least remaining in the bathroom with him. And apparently on taping his activities anyway, Light remembered with a grimace, rubbing his now-free wrist before removing and folding his shirt and pulling on a night-shirt. During Ryuuzaki's showers, to avoid the locks on the handcuffs from rusting, Light would find himself chained to the curtain rod for the duration, forced to wait in the steam and heat for the detective to finish.



Stretching leisurely without the annoying chain to rattle against his arm, Light finished getting dressed and then held his wrist out again expectantly. When the cuff didn't return, Light blinked, finally turning to look at Ryuuzaki to find the delay.



The raccoon-eyed man was standing several feet away, wearing lightweight night pants but holding his shirt delicately by his thumb and forefinger and appearing lost in thought.



"..." Averting his gaze from the half-dressed man, Light cleared his throat softly. "Ryuuzaki." He felt the heavy gaze turn to him and arched an eyebrow. When Ryuuzaki still didn't feel a need to explain, Light frowned, watching the wall across the room in mild aggravation. "What are you doing?"



"...I was thinking that today was more tiring than I had expected. Matsuda-san does not do much, but after Ukita-san... and Misora-san... I do not wish Kira to kill anyone else for helping us."



Startled by the unexpected occurrence of emotions in relation to Ryuuzaki, Light blinked, then drew his brows together. "Ryuuzaki-- we don't know for certain that Kira killed Misora-san. She disappeared-- it's plausible that if she did kill herself, it was because her fiancé--"



“The Misora-san that I know would not kill herself, under any circumstances,” Ryuuzaki interrupted, voice quiet but brooking no argument. Rolling his shoulders as though to work away tension, Ryuuzaki slowly turned his dark eyes to Light, and Light recognized the straight posture and direct gaze this time.



“So, you aren’t afraid of me right now?” Light asked in an attempt at being casual, still uneasy around this new version of the detective. Or, he corrected himself, the old version-- the way Ryuuzaki was before Kira. It occurred to him that Ryuuzaki must be close to his own height, if not exactly as tall. He seemed so much smaller curled up like a victim.



Ryuuzaki brought his thumb thoughtfully to his lower lip, resting it there without biting before dropping his hand. “Should I be?”



Finding his irritation again after drawing his distracted eyes from Ryuuzaki’s mouth, Light snorted and moved past the other man. “Quit being ridiculous, Ryuuzaki. If you aren’t going to replace the cuff, I’m going to sleep.”



Eyes on the ceiling, Ryuuzaki tilted his head slightly. “...I think I’d like my massage now,” he decided out loud. Light froze in instant anger, and Ryuuzaki smiled slightly, looking to the younger man once more with an expression that clearly stated Light’s anger was ineffectual and rather amusing. “You did accept the bet. If I remember, you thought you could use it to find incriminating information about me.” Black eyes blinked. “...Why did you want to know, if you aren’t Kira?”



“Maybe I want some assurance that you were raised like a human and not produced in some factory,” Light responded with a reproachful frown, turning to face Ryuuzaki with his arms crossed on his chest in a direct challenge.



Ryuuzaki spread his arms to show his lack of any unnatural scars and obvious humanity. The movement drew Light’s attention to his chest, then down to his stomach and a fine trail of dark hairs starting low on his abdomen. Tearing his gaze away with pink cheeks, Light frowned at the wall with furious concentration, berating himself internally for the embarrassing lapse of control.



“That was an interesting reaction, Light-kun,” Ryuuzaki observed curiously.



Refusing to be baited into that conversation, Light worked on remaining rational. He decided that the best course of action was avoidance-- at least until he could explain how he'd reacted to himself. "Speaking of interesting, Ryuuzaki, I wouldn't have thought even you would go so low as to use the deaths of your former assistants in an attempt to win a massage."



"...Light-kun has me there," Ryuuzaki agreed, slouching slightly once more. "Though the massage was already won. It was my impression that sympathy might make you more inclined to cooperate."



Amazed at the gall of that and then deciding wryly that nothing should surprise him where the detective was concerned, Light gave the other man a look of mild reproach. "Now who's using the emotions of others?"



"But Light-kun has always insisted that you don't care for me," Ryuuzaki reminded. "Therefore, you wouldn't be able to be manipulated, would you?" Crawling over the covers, Ryuuzaki stretched out on his stomach, apparently deciding the argument was won.



"..." Eyes slightly wide, Light stared at him. "Ryuuzaki. You can't be serious-- I don't know the first thing about giving massages, I could injure your back. Aside from the obvious points-- that I don't want to touch you, and you're usually afraid I'll kill you on a good day. In any case, from what I know of massages they tend to use oils..." The sight of Ryuuzaki actually stretched full-length, let alone lying down, was almost enough to distract his mind. It didn't seem to suit the older man at all. "...And isn't that uncomfortable?"



"...It does feel strange," Ryuuzaki agreed blandly. "There are oils in my night stand. I am prepared to risk possible damage as an end to my means."



Gritting his teeth, Light went to check if the detective was really that annoying. He had been telling the truth-- several small bottles of oil were waiting in the top drawer beside a box of what appeared to be emergency chocolate reserves. Because Light was always controlled and collected, and was much more mature than Ryuuzaki, he resisted the brief impulse to throw one of the small bottles at the older man. Instead, he opened one and sniffed at it-- a pleasant aroma of herbs wafted up to him with a fresh, clean scent that was somehow soothing. "When did you possibly have time to select these?"



"I gave the parameters to Watari," Ryuuzaki explained. His face was turned toward Light's side of the bed, and Light's sharp eyes detected something strange about his attempted relaxed posture.



Narrowing his eyes in thought, Light knelt on the bed with the oil forgotten in his right hand. With his other, he touched his fingers lightly to the detective's back, and was rewarded with the taut muscles jerking slightly under his touch. Snorting a laugh, Light sat more calmly on the bed, superiority restored. "You've been lying there tensed like I'm about to attack you," Light observed. He drew his fingers down Ryuuzaki's spine and smirked as the older man tensed against a shiver. "Why do you want me to give you a massage if it's making you so paranoid? You can barely sit up straight around me, and you thought you could handle this sort of vulnerability? I never pegged you for a masochist, Ryuuzaki," he mocked.



"I've always thought of Light as a sadist," Ryuuzaki responded, voice almost undetectably tight.



Light let one of his fingers jab a bit more sharply, then opened the bottle of massage oil and sprinkled a small amount on the other man's skin. "That was a lie," he asserted. "Kira has always been practical and homicidal, but not a sadist. Even the times when he was experimenting on prisoners to test his power, it was for information, not only to cause pain..." Balancing the bottle on the covers, he began to work the oil into Ryuuzaki's muscles with both hands, starting at his shoulders and combining his knowledge of the physical make-up of the human body with mimicked techniques from television. Noting how quickly the oil disappeared, he frowned slightly and added more. "...The smell gets a little overpowering," he commented.



Not responding to the last, Ryuuzaki let a comfortable silence develop for a moment. Then, "...Was that a confession?"



Sighing, Light worked his hands more forcefully against Ryuuzaki's back. The detective made a small noise, and Light paused for an instant's analysis before returning to the spot and a knot in the muscle there. "...It wasn't. You've always accused me of being Kira, so I assumed that when you insulted me you were referring to your image of me as Kira."



"That... was not my intention," Ryuuzaki responded, tensing against the pain. "Light-kun..."



"Shh," Light ordered absently, attention on the knot. He frowned and worked in concentration for several minutes, then smiled in satisfaction when the knot gave way. The sudden relaxation of Ryuuzaki's muscles startled him-- and the detective's barely-stifled murmur of pleasure made him shift uncomfortably. "If you can't keep quiet, I'm not going to be able to pretend I'm not touching you," he continued after a moment's awkward silence. Ryuuzaki didn't reply this time.



The need to react on instinct to minute signals from Ryuuzaki's body for clues on how and where to move his hands drew his focus down, and Light worked at the massage in a trance-like state for half an hour.



---



Ryuuzaki was floating. The darkness he was in was tinted orange with distant light, and a mix of herbs surrounded him with comforting scents. Somewhere, warm hands were causing him to melt, but he wasn't up to figuring out where the smells and touch were coming from.



Sleep had never been like this for the detective-- it was always a brief moment of unconsciousness, easily disturbed by outside forces. It wasn't particularly restful and it left him with an uneasy feeling.



This, on the other hand... It was like taking that first bite of a perfect cake, moist and with a sweet flavor to tingle your mouth and lift you up-- only it filled all of his senses and seemed to last forever.



If only this were what death was like, this peaceful nothingness, he didn't think he would be afraid anymore.



All too soon, a sound interrupted his blissful dream. The noise was associated in his mind with slight pain or discomfort, and as soon as Ryuuzaki had analyzed it he realized that he was conscious again.



Discarding the disappointment, Ryuuzaki spoke. "Light-kun...?" Talking seemed to be an unusual effort. This information was also filed away.



A familiar voice snorted in what Ryuuzaki correctly interpreted to be a laugh directed at him. "Well, I suppose I couldn't have done a horrible job. Were you actually asleep?"



"Hmm..." Ryuuzaki agreed. He took stock of himself, and realized that he was still filled with a certain warm lassitude and was in fact smiling slightly. Stretching under Light's hands, he came to another realization-- his body was reflecting his pleasure in an obvious way. Ryuuzaki resolved to not turn over where Light could see-- undoubtedly, seeing the detective aroused would cause Light to recoil in horror, and the moment seemed too nice to ruin just for the amusement of seeing such an expression on Light's face.



Remembering what had woken him originally, Ryuuzaki forced his mind to operate. "Are you injured...?"



"..." A change in the weight distribution on the covers indicated the boy shifting carefully. "I lost track of time, and the position is bad for this. My lower back is protesting. And my shoulders," he added in a sardonic, self-mocking tone. "The alternative was sitting on you for the massage, and I wasn't prepared to, so this is the result. It's no worse than when we fight," he assured.



"...Then it must hurt," Ryuuzaki decided. Light made a sound like a quiet chuckle.



"Ryuuzaki..." Light began after another few minutes, hands resting on the detective's back but no longer moving. "...What were your parents like? I--" Instantly, Ryuuzaki's muscles were tense again as the detective barely stopped himself from pulling away from the touch. "Ryuuzaki?" The surprised note in Light's voice made him try to relax himself, but he wasn't quite successful. "That can't lead me to your identity. Saying they were nice, or even neglectful, that isn't information that I could use," he reminded, obviously not sure what exactly had set Ryuuzaki's defenses off.



"What my parents were like is none of Yagami-kun's business," Ryuuzaki responded shortly, voice blank. He was only too aware of how Light's hands on his back were working as a lie-detector, impeding Ryuuzaki's normal shields of expression and voice.



"Ah," Light replied, and the word showed that he had gleaned much more from Ryuuzaki's choice of words than the older man had wanted known.



Disliking that, Ryuuzaki shrugged Light off, sitting up and carefully hiding the still-visible effects of the younger man's massage. Masking his anger as well, Ryuuzaki studied Light with blank eyes and bit at his thumb. "Why does Light-kun want to know?"



Light blinked at him. "You would do the same to me if I were the mystery, Ryuuzaki," he pointed out. "I don't really know anything about you, and we've been chained together for weeks. I can pick things up watching you and talking to you, but it's still like putting a puzzle together when half of the pieces are missing and most of the pieces I have are conjecture. It's... frustrating," he admitted.



Tilting his head as he considered that, Ryuuzaki slowly dropped his hand. "...If Light-kun is still curious, I will tell him," Ryuuzaki promised. When Light's gaze sharpened with interest, Ryuuzaki continued tonelessly. "...After it has been proved beyond doubt that Light-kun is not, and has never been, Kira."



The righteous anger Ryuuzaki was expecting didn't immediately come-- instead, Light gave a nearly-invisible flinch before pulling offended exasperation around himself. Fascinated, Ryuuzaki widened his eyes. Before he could accuse Light again, however, the boy rallied with a stern frown. "I don't think you're in any position to insult me with that, Ryuuzaki. If you're so convinced I'm Kira, and yet you introduced me to Weddie and Aber after working with them long enough to trust them with seeing you in person... I know that they're willing to risk their lives, but did you warn them you'd be letting be your prime suspect for Kira see their faces? Even under assumed identities that's dangerous for them."



"..." Ryuuzaki curled up more and returned his thumb to his mouth. "...If one of them were to die while working on this case, Light-kun is the only suspected Kira to have met them," Ryuuzaki pointed out.



This time, the expected anger was immediate. "I thought you said you were tired of Kira killing people you know-- you're really that willing to sacrifice people you trust just to prove I'm some kind of killer?" Light snapped.



"Light-kun is so quick to become offended by injustice," Ryuuzaki murmured. "And so strong in his beliefs. Because of that, his percentage as Kira has raised ten perc--" By falling onto his side, Ryuuzaki blocked Light's first punch. The boy was too close, however, and the second scored Ryuuzaki's mostly-healed side.



Light's eyes, inflamed with rage, made Ryuuzaki temporarily forget to defend himself. The third punch caught his jaw and caused the inside of his head to fill with sparks. It also pulled him back into reality, and Ryuuzaki pushed Light off with a sharp kick to the chest.



When he fell to his back, Light pulled Ryuuzaki with him, using the momentum to send the dark-haired man through the air and off the edge of the bed. Twisting to a crouch, Light cursed when Ryuuzaki grabbed his ankle and flipped him to his back in a snake-quick move. Ryuuzaki followed, and Light kept him off with a hasty kick as he scrabbled backwards over the covers to have more fighting room.



Ryuuzaki feinted forward, drawing a punch out of Light that he blocked easily. Twisting Light's arm above his head, he tried to pin the boy, but Light's kneed him in the side and he was shoved off again.



Light pressed his advantage, knowing the bed would make it difficult for Ryuuzaki to get his signature kicks in. After several more blocked blows, Ryuuzaki sacrificed his defense to get a punch in, allowing Light to score a hit at the same time. Eyes locked together, the two shifted on the bed, mirroring each other in a wary crouch. After a moment of tense stillness Ryuuzaki struck again.



Catching the detective's fist, Light smirked in grim satisfaction-- then made a choking noise as Ryuuzaki followed past their hands, pulling Light forward by the collar of his night shirt and colliding their lips together.



Light's lip, already split from the punch of a moment before, began to bleed. Recovering from his shock, Light grunted in anger and shoved Ryuuzaki away with a curse. Undeterred, Ryuuzaki retaliated with another too-quick-to-see punch, and in the next instant pushed Light into the mattress with the weight of his body. Baring his teeth, Light gripped Ryuuzaki's shoulders with intent to throw him from the bed again.



His hands slipped over still-oiled flesh, denying his purchase.



Ryuuzaki sank his own teeth into the younger man's shoulder and ground their hips together.



Spine arching and head thrown back, Light hissed a curse, nails digging into Ryuuzaki's back before they slid lower. His knee caught the detective in his side and Light flipped the dark-haired man to his back with himself on top. Straddling Ryuuzaki's hips, Light kissed him fiercely, tongue pressing demandingly into the other's mouth.



Allowing Light to keep control for a moment, Ryuuzaki dug fingers into Light's thighs and strained into the kiss, fighting for dominance there first. Losing patience, he rolled them over again and resumed their battle of tongues.



---



Annoyed at the loss of dominance, Light broke the kiss to bite at the flesh connecting Ryuuzaki's neck to his shoulder. Light gave a nasty little chuckle when Ryuuzaki cursed, before his vindictiveness was cut short by Ryuuzaki's hips grinding into him again. Legs wound around Ryuuzaki's now, Light pulled him closer on instinct, eyes closing as a low moan escaped him.



Breathing ragged, the two moved against each other for a time, Ryuuzaki riding Light through their clothes while Light lifted his hips to meet him. They kissed again, Light drawing the other's tongue between his lips hungrily and sounding his frustration as he dragged his nails along Ryuuzaki's spine. Rational thought gone, he gasped when Ryuuzaki's mouth found one of his nipples, wondering when his night shirt had been opened. His head rolled in pleasure, eyes barely open and gaze hazily taking in the ceiling.



A matched set of cameras looked back at him from the far corners of the room, their singular black eyes recording the scene dispassionately.



Heart stopping in his chest for a beat, Light drew in a sharp breath and his closed fist caught the detective in his temple. When Ryuuzaki slumped against him, stunned from the blow, Light pushed and punched the lighter man off of himself. Kicking him in the head for good measure, Light scrambled to the far corner of the bed and felt himself shaking with anger, thwarted desire and self-disgust. "Asshole! How could you-- you knew Watari would be watching!" he hissed. Running his hands sharply through his hair while Ryuuzaki finally blinked in a dazed way and managed to slowly sit up, Light abruptly stood and stalked for the door. "I'm taking a shower. If you touch me again, I'll kill you."



"--Light-kun, you need the chain--"



"Watch the tape later, pervert. You will anyway, right? I'm not going anywhere near you." That said, Light slammed from the room and into the bathroom.



Closing the door, Light leaned back against it and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he found his reflection facing him-- shirt undone, face flushed and a bruise developing on his neck from Ryuuzaki's mouth. It was noticeable, even when combined with the other injuries he'd earned in more conventional fights with the older man.



The cameras in this room were hidden, but Light didn't doubt that they were there. Not wanting Ryuuzaki to see how affected their little encounter had made him, he went to the sink rather than the shower, refusing to stand under cold water until his incriminating erection went away. Instead, he washed the remaining oil from his hands in the sink and splashed water on his face, thinking calming and unattractive thoughts while forcing his mind to stay clear of the dark-eyed and infernally irritating detective. Especially to keep it clear of what had just happened, and to make sure he didn't start to question why he'd reacted how he had...



Shaking his head with a frown, Light gripped the edge of the sink in annoyance, counting backwards from a hundred and working on logic problems to distract his mind.



After several long and torturous minutes, he'd succeeded enough to feel safe in leaving the bathroom. He considered going into the suite's kitchen area to get food just to spite the detective, but he found his stomach wasn't up for the thought and in any case he'd already brushed his teeth.



Reluctantly, he left the solitude of the washroom and returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind himself and frowning to see Ryuuzaki working away on his damned computer again. The man had his knees drawn up, so Light couldn't tell if he was still suffering from his own arousal-- not that he'd checked, of course.



Sleep wasn't something he was looking forward to tonight. He knew that his mind would analyze their fight minutely, and for once Light wasn't certain he could easily handle having the day's mistakes replayed in detail. Especially the parts after he'd been pushed onto his back again, with Ryuuzaki's hips rocking into his...



Feeling his body begin to heat again, Light tore his mind back from those thoughts, looking to the floor and taking a steadying breath. Why had he ended up on the bottom, anyway? How pathetic was that? He frowned at the safer topic, pride wounded at the memory. Honestly, keeping the monkey-toed sweet-obsessed genius on his back shouldn't have been that difficult. Light must have gotten distracted somehow, lost his focus-- not that he'd had a focus at the time. He'd been reacting on instinct.



The fact that his instincts had ended with him getting molested by the detective and enthusiastically urging him on did not bode well for Light's future.



---



"...What is Light-kun thinking of?" Ryuuzaki asked, having been studying Light for several minutes as the younger man stood in the doorway. Light jerked his head up to glare at the other man, but Ryuuzaki merely shifted slightly before holding his hand and counting off observations on his fingers. "When you entered, you became visibly uncomfortable and unable to look at me. This is a normal reaction, though there was a thirty percent chance that Light-kun would merely attack me again. Next, Light-kun seemed to become more angry at himself than at me. Now he only looks disturbed..." Ryuuzaki blinked, returning his hands to his knees. "...And now angry again..."



"Ryuuzaki. Shut up." Apparently ignoring Ryuuzaki's comments, Light stalked across the room and under his covers after turning off the light.



"..." Returning his gaze to his notebook, Ryuuzaki reluctantly turned off the security footage and shut the power off. He had indeed been watching Light in the bathroom-- after all, even Light's injured pride and wrath couldn't negate the fact that he was the prime Kira suspect, and leaving him alone even for several minutes without Ryuuzaki to watch him would make their being chained together for so long worthless. "...Goodnight, Light-kun," he murmured, seventy percent certain that Light would continue to ignore him, or insult him again.



Instead, after a long pause, Light sighed quietly in a burst of condensed aggravation. "Goodnight, Ryuuzaki. If you burn the tapes from earlier, I might forgive you. I can't believe you tried that with Watari watching... That sort of stupidity is more like Matsuda. Think about that, Ryuuzaki."



Startled, Ryuuzaki tilted his head, bringing his thumb to his lips. "...I don't believe Matsuda-san would attempt to kiss you..."



"Don't be disgusting. I don't need to be blocking any more thoughts when I'm trying to sleep."



"...Light-kun is still thinking of earlier?" Ryuuzaki ventured innocently.



"...Of course, Ryuuzaki. I'm trying to decide how things could have gone so badly, so quickly. My actions weren't logical, or anything like me."



"I've discovered," Ryuuzaki spoke musingly. "That emotions and attraction are not often logical."



Ryuuzaki could imagine Light's slight frown. "You agreed that I acted illogically."



"As Light-kun just admitted that he was attracted," Ryuuzaki pointed out.



"Believe whatever you want," Light replied mildly. Which, in terms of their argument, was Light admitting that he was in check and would only lose if he continued.



Matsuda had nearly died, Ryuuzaki was once again covered in darkening bruises, and Watari had been witness to a lapse in the detective's control that he'd have preferred to be private. Kissing Light during their fight hadn't been planned, and the fact that his impulsive action hadn't caused Light to hospitalize him was nothing but luck.



Luck-- or Light beginning to return Ryuuzaki's attraction.



All in all, he decided with satisfaction, today had been an unimaginable success.



---



Light was back in the bathroom.



He frowned, looking around himself. He was sure that he'd been doing something... he'd been going over what had happened, he remembered. It had been the tenth time, and he'd almost figured out why he might have responded to Ryuuzaki so strangely.



Which meant that he couldn't be in the bathroom now. He had to be asleep still... And so this must be a dream.



Which was impossible. Light didn't dream-- dreams were a complete waste of his time. So, logically, if he were to have a dream it would need to have a purpose. Standing around in a bathroom certainly wasn't it, so he assumed the dream would have to become more interesting soon.



At the moment he began to become impatient, Light realized that something about the bathroom was wrong.



The mirror.



The room he was in was well-lit, but the mirror was dark. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Dreams were completely ridiculous. Well, then, he would figure it out.



Walking boldly forward, Light crossed his arms, studying his reflection in a challenging way.



His reflection smirked back at him in smug superiority. Light realized for the first time how irritating that expression actually was. Deciding he'd had enough of this, he sighed. "Well? I assume you're an instrument of my subconscious. Tell me whatever revelation it is I'm supposed to be having and leave."



Light's reflection laughed condescendingly and leaned forward, hands resting against the other side of the mirror. He looked around the lit bathroom with apparent curiosity and disdain. "Don't be so impatient. You know that dreams don't take long. Enjoy the time you have left."



Tension began to fill Light, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. He had his suspicions, however, and studied his other self narrowly. "Who are you? Kira?"



"I... am God," his reflection stated. His eyes shone with an insane conviction and self-confidence, and his smirk widened.



Heart beating faster, Light clenched and unclenched his hands. "There is no God." He spoke quietly, but his voice was certain.



"Yet," agreed Light's reflection, Kira. With feigned casualness, Kira looked at his watch, the twin of Light's own. This seemed to amuse Kira intensely, and he gave Light a secret smile as he chuckled. "It's almost time..."



Light frowned, but before he could ask what Kira was talking about, the scenery twisted. He found himself in a clearing surrounded by trees. There was something important here if he could only remember... He heard laughter, and spun to find a shadow in the tree above him, larger than a human, but his mind wouldn't quite focus on it. Just as his fear spiked, he felt a soft brush of wings cross his face and flutter over his lips. It had nothing to do with the dream, and the forest scene dissolved.



---



Waking with a start and a shuddered breath, Light sat half-up and stared down at his watch. There was a reason, something strange, if he could only remember...



"...Time for what, Light-kun?" Ryuuzaki's voice was toneless, guarded closely. Light had the impression that the man was afraid.



"What?" he asked, looking up at the detective. The man was sitting in his casual pre-Kira pose again, but holding himself tensely. Light rubbed his hand over his mouth, thinking back to the wings in his dream.



"You spoke in your sleep. You said that it was almost time... For what?"



Trying to hold onto the dream, Light remembered enough to know that if he'd said anything else the detective had reason to be frightened. Sitting up, Light shivered, rubbing his arms without thinking. He observed with distant humor that Ryuuzaki had returned the cuff to his wrist while Light slept. Very practical.



"It was just a dream, Ryuuzaki. How should I know?" Trying to reassure himself that his dream had just been some twisted representation of his fears and thoughts from that morning about the possibility of being Kira, Light couldn't help feeling shaken. But what else could it have been?



"Light-kun..."



Light frowned again, turning his head to look at Ryuuzaki and ready to show his annoyance if the man accused him again. Instead, he gave a slight jerk when Ryuuzaki lifted a hand toward his face and lightly brushed his fingers over Light's cheek to rest against his neck. Keeping his dark eyes locked on Light's, Ryuuzaki leaned closer, allowing Light plenty of time to escape or attack. Wondering why he didn't, Light remained frozen, body held tense and barely remembering to breathe. At the last instant, he tried to pull back, but Ryuuzaki had waited long enough.



The kiss was chaste but steady, and when Ryuuzaki pulled away Light realized he'd closed his eyes. Swallowing with some difficulty and wondering why he felt like he'd just run a mile, Light pondered if kissing the detective could possibly give him a heart attack. The man was unsavory enough... He took another unsteady breath and an analysis he hadn't been aware of making snapped into place. "...You woke me up. Did you kiss me when I was asleep again?" he demanded, glaring suspiciously at Ryuuzaki and ready to be angry.



"..." Ryuuzaki blinked. "...Yagami-kun had hair in his eyes. He was also having a nightmare. I only moved his hair away."



Thinking back to the sensation of wings, Light remained skeptical. "My hair isn't long enough to be on my mouth, Ryuuzaki. And talking around things like that is just stupid when you look relaxed."



"...You're very observant," Ryuuzaki commented, not seemed pleased with the revelation.



"Obviously," Light sighed. "Honestly, I'm amazed you woke me up. Wouldn't my nightmares just be insight into 'Kira' for you?"



Expression unusually serious, Ryuuzaki gave a slight nod, eyes intent on Light. "I'm even more certain now that you are Kira. Thirty... No, twenty percent."



Light's mouth twitched in a weary almost-smile. "That much? That's almost a conviction, coming from you. Too bad you still don't have any evidence." Staring down at his shackle, Light wished for once that he could sleep like normal people seemed able to, and not always, always be thinking. "At least this time you didn't say you were just kissing me to taste Kira," he joked dryly.



"...I thought you said you would kill me if I touched you again," Ryuuzaki noted, studying Light as though trying to read his mind.



"Hmm..." Light stared down at his watch, toying with one of the knobs thoughtlessly. "There's time for that, later." Sensing the sudden return of Ryuuzaki's tension, Light blinked, looking up at him again and releasing the watch. "Ryuuzaki? I was joking," he frowned. "I told you before, the investigation needs you, I don't want you to die."



"You may not, Light-kun," Ryuuzaki agreed, still sitting unnaturally still and keeping his eyes on Light. "But I am Kira's only obstacle. If your memories return--"



"There aren't any memories," Light snapped, life flickering into him again with his irritation. "When are you going to trust me?"



"..." Resting his chin on his knee, Ryuuzaki watched Light with something like sadness. "When everything we've discovered is proven wrong, and I have no more doubts about you." Ryuuzaki shook his head. "More than that. If I knew that the memories would never come back to you, and you would never be Kira again... maybe..." The detective hesitated, biting the skin of his thumb.



"You think I'd want to live the rest of my life under your constant suspicion, waiting for me to suddenly turn on you?" Light asked. "If you want me to live, help me find a way to convince you I'm not Kira. Everyone but you believes that I'm innocent."



"Everyone...?" Ryuuzaki studied the ceiling. "...I think that your own conviction is wearing thin. Your eyes aren't as innocent as they used to be."



"My eyes have never been 'innocent', Ryuuzaki," Light responded caustically. "Any more than yours have. When you can see more around you than anyone else, you don't remain innocent."



This comment drew Ryuuzaki's interest back to Light. "You still have conviction, and a strong sense of justice."



"Of course." Lying back down, Light closed his eyes firmly. "Just because I can see that the justice system is corrupt doesn't mean that I've lost all faith in it. It does need a reformation, but when I become the head of the police force, after dad, I have faith in my abilities to make it more effective."



He felt Ryuuzaki's gaze still on him. "...Still, that is only for the Japanese police, Light-kun. There would still be much injustice in the world. Don't you want to stop that, too? If you had the power, would you try?"



Light snorted, not at all fooled by Ryuuzaki's casual tone of voice. "I'm not Kira, Ryuuzaki. I think anyone would try if they had the power to make things better, unless they were corrupt themselves. But Kira's power carries too much consequence. No matter how you look at it, killing thousands of people is wrong."



"Of course. But if you did it, in an attempt to make the world a better place..."



"You don't believe that either, Ryuuzaki," Light informed him, frowning slightly before relaxing himself in preparation to sleep. "Kira's intentions seem to be good, but he's proven again and again that he's no more perfect than another human. He hates to lose, he becomes childish when provoked, he's killed for spite. He tried to kill you just because you challenged him..." Yawning, Light turned on his side away from the detective, weariness catching up to him again. "That sort of person should under no circumstances be in control of the world."



"But what if you didn't become like that until you received Kira's powers...?" Ryuuzaki murmured. "What if you were rational, sane... What if you were like you are now until the power changed you?"



"Then I was weak," Light replied, voice softer as he slid toward unconsciousness and tone absent. "And I'm not a weak person..." Light's weight settled more securely into the covers, and he was asleep.



Ryuuzaki watched him with dark eyes. "No, you aren't. But the power must have been stronger..."



In the hours remaining before dawn, Ryuuzaki kept his gaze on Light's sleeping form, trying to think of some way for Light to not be Kira and failing. Light was the only person who could keep up with his mind, his only friend, the only person he'd been attracted to on such a level. And somewhere inside of him were the memories and possibly the powers of a psychic mass-murderer.



For the first time in his life, he hated knowing that he was right.



-----



Sorry this took longer, but the crazy length should make up for it, right? I actually wrote this one using three pages of notes. The others I just winged it.



I've been looking forward to this chapter for weeks, and I'm a little nervous about it and if it accomplished everything I wanted it too. I was working my mind into a knot for the last few weeks worrying more about how to end the fic than on this actual chapter, so I got a little distracted. But I have a plan in place now! We're getting close, readers. The fact that his has had 1745 hits, even if a lot of those are just from people returning to read new chapters, amazes me. Thank you for giving me a chance! Or for being so bored you were willing to try!



The Stranger is by Billy Joel, and if you haven't heard it, give it a listen. Until next time, bye~.