Goodnight Moon

Chapter Title: Slept So Long



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



Rating: R



Pairings: Ryuuzaki / Light



Warning(s): Contains spoilers for manga 1 through parts of 7 ( Ooh, but does it include that fateful part...? ) I\'m still usin\' the Orange Tangerine scanlation for my fic, so variations from Viz\' version in bits that are quoted are expected. Parts of this fic will use quotes, but the content is mine, and I\'ll try to avoid being forced to use quotes as much as possible. I\'d much rather be a smartass all on my own. Lucky you, the descriptions will all be mine. But man, I didn\'t realize how friggin\' long the Friday that ends 5 and starts manga 6 was. And remember how I skipped that extra week or so back when Aizawa wasn\'t supposed to be there? Somehow, that magical week isn\'t going to affect the DN timeline. Just suspend judgement on the ability of a week to occur with new events happening but the same exact date. Though wouldn\'t it be kind of funny for Kira to keep waking up one day, Groundhog\'s Day style, killing new people to see what he was supposed to actually do? That would be fun to write, I think. Why is this warning so long?



Comment: I\'m excited! We\'re into manga 6, we\'re rolling along. This is a turning point chapter. Like it or not, say goodnight to Light.



Same as before, comment replies are at the end. Now, on to the story!



---



"Light-kun..."



Light wrinkled his nose in his sleep, turning his head and mumbling about the Yotsuba seven. He had apparently been listing their known qualities instead of dreaming.



Ryuuzaki filed that interesting piece of information: perhaps Kira could sleep so well at night because he didn\'t actually dream. Truly, he was an intellect to rival Ryuuzaki\'s.



Shifting in his crouch and balanced lightly beside the sleeping boy, Ryuuzaki chewed thoughtfully on his fork in an attempt to get any lingering raspberry-filling goodness from the once cake-covered utensil. His dark eyes took in every line and curve of his new lover, and he almost hesitated to wake him.



There was a high probability that Light wouldn\'t be pleased when he woke.



Sighing, the genius detective finally banished the fork to the empty plate and reached over to shake Light gently. "Light-kun, you need to wake up. We slept in."



Actually, Ryuuzaki had woken at just past dawn with a headache from the several hours of sleep he had managed. For some reason, he hadn\'t moved for another hour, when Light had finally turned away on his own. Ryuuzaki had lain for a few moments more, committing the lingering feel of the boy\'s hand curled in his hair to his memory before moving enough to turn on his notebook and tell Watari to bring in his breakfast sweets.



"Mm, likelihood of Midou being Kira is..." Light mumbled. He frowned again, and his eyes opened partway. A complete lack of surprise overtook his face as he looked up to discover Ryuuzaki already awake and scrutinizing him. "Morning already?" He yawned and rubbed his face, the chain clinking and hitting against his shoulder. "Ignore that, stupid question. What do you mean \'we\' slept in? You\'ve probably been awake for days."



"...Almost true," Ryuuzaki agreed. "Unexpectedly, I found myself unconscious at nearly the same time as Light-kun."



"Meaning you did stay awake to watch me for part of it," Light observed, mind waking quickly as always. When he lowered his hands, his gaze was alert and ready, and Light gave a stretch before wincing and abandoning the idea. Arm around his stomach, he leaned on one elbow and stayed bent half-over the covers, breathing carefully with his hair hanging over his face.



"Of course... Are you all right?" Ryuuzaki asked, distracted from thoughts of Kira and nibbling his thumb in concern as he studied Light.



Light\'s lips pressed together as he resisted a sarcastic response. Instead, he looked up through his hair. "I\'m fine. It\'s just a muscle sprain, Ryuuzaki. As you know." Gritting his teeth, Light sat up as though it was nothing and pushed his bangs back.



Ryuuzaki blinked. "...Then Light-kun should get dressed. We were expected at headquarters half an hour ago."



"..." Light gaped at Ryuuzaki, shock making him briefly appear his age. Almost as quickly, the surprise turned to annoyance. "You let us be that late? Why? What if they suspect--"



"...The probability of the other detectives guessing our carnal activities based on our being unusually late is low, Light-kun. You can tell them that I passed out, and failed to wake us on time."



"I know that, but it doesn\'t explain how they won\'t notice the bite-marks, Ryuuzaki," Light snapped. "They may not be on our level, but they aren\'t idiots. Well, in general," he added in afterthought.



"Matsuda-san is an exception, but does have moments," Ryuuzaki pointed out.



"Few and far between," Light sighed. The two shared a moment of silent rumination, and Light shook his head, sliding from the covers and tugging Ryuuzaki along to the dressers. "I don\'t usually wear turtlenecks, but I doubt any of them will notice. Don\'t do anything like that again," he added in his warning tone of voice, casting a look back at the shuffling detective. Ryuuzaki widened his eyes in question. "You know what I mean. Don\'t stay up and watch me sleep and then pretend you slept in. I assume if I watched last night\'s tape--" Light hesitated, and Ryuuzaki took in the sight of a flush crawling up Light\'s cheeks as Light struggled to keep his gaze. "...This morning\'s tape... I wouldn\'t see you sleeping for very long. Especially considering the empty plate by us."



"...Light-kun is correct," Ryuuzaki agreed simply. "...Though it was longer than I\'ve slept in some time..." Unlocking their cuffs so Light could dress, Ryuuzaki paused on his way to his own dresser to watch Light\'s smooth back appear from beneath his shirt as he stripped. Unable to resist the temptation, he stepped closer, hands settling on Light\'s lower back and trailing along his sides to rest warm over the younger man\'s stomach.



---



Shivering at the not-entirely-unexpected touch, Light swallowed and closed his eyes. He reminded himself that it was only Ryuuzaki, and he should be annoyed, not affected. Still, he allowed himself to lean briefly into the older man, even as he gave him a frown and let his shirt drop over Ryuuzaki\'s hands so he could cross his arms on his chest and look exasperated. "What do you think you\'re doing?"



"Hmm..." Ryuuzaki rubbed his hands in careful circles on Light\'s stomach, then settled them again. The warmth was beginning to get to the boy\'s muscles, and Light relaxed slightly against his will as the pain receded. "Helping."



"Don\'t you still think I\'m Kira?" Light retorted quietly. "You should be delighting that I\'m in pain."



"If Light-kun wants me to stop because I believe that he is Kira..." Ryuuzaki began lightly, starting to pull his hands away.



Light caught one of his wrists instinctively. An unfamiliar moment of hesitation paused him as his mind fought against his desires. Mind won, and Light stepped away from Ryuuzaki firmly, pulling his shirt off without looking at the detective. Rather than calmly folding it like usual, however, he set it distractedly on the dresser and changed as quickly as possible.



After waiting a moment for Light to change his mind, Ryuuzaki dropped his arms to his sides and strode to his own dresser. He changed without a word.



Light felt a twinge of guilt, muscles tense and stomach inexplicably uneasy. Annoyed at his illogical reaction, Light frowned to himself as he tried to understand what he was doing.



Which was, apparently, pulling the right leg of his pants over his left foot.



Light\'s frown deepened in embarrassment and he risked a glance at Ryuuzaki. The detective was almost finished. Hurriedly, Light corrected his mistake and fastened the button on his slacks.



At which point he realized he\'d pulled on a tan scoop-neck sweater instead of the turtleneck he needed.



Was this how it felt to be normal? Completely unable to function properly? He wondered if he and Ryuuzaki were having a fight-- a different kind than they\'d ever had before. He didn\'t see why he should feel any need to apologize to Ryuuzaki for turning him away. After all, they were already late, there was no time for cuddling, or sex, or whatever Ryuuzaki had been expecting from him. Not that he would be going along with anything like that anyway-- last night had been an extended lapse in judgment.



Noticing that he was making excuses, Light tore off his sweater and set it aside as neatly as possible, picking out the turtleneck instead and dressing properly.



Ryuuzaki was, by now, watching him like lab specimen with an interesting anomaly.



Trying to calm his aggravation, Light only allowed slight frustration to show, putting his wrist out for the cuff and then heading to the door when it was put on.



"Light-kun..." Ryuuzaki murmured.



Light stopped, giving Ryuuzaki an appropriately mild sigh and frown.



Ryuuzaki pointed down. "Have you also realized how much the confines of socks and shoes deplete intellectual capacity?"



Closing his eyes for a moment, Light dropped his head as cool air from the open window caressed his still-bare feet.



He wondered what else would go wrong today.



---



Light always believed that, out of anyone else in the world, he at least truly understood Ryuuzaki.



That belief had been seriously shaken a moment ago.



After Light had walked past the detective in defeat to collect to his socks, the two had gone directly to headquarters.



The cameras were in place in the Yotsuba group\'s meeting area. Today was the first scheduled meeting of the committee that the Kira investigation would be observing, and they spent the hours before it compiling information as usual.



After normal business hours, the secret Yotsuba group finally converged around their table, and in the hotel Ryuuzaki had built for the detectives screens showed the committee from several angles. One hand resting on the back of Ryuuzaki\'s chair, Light had watched with the others as the Yotsuba members calmly discussed having Kira murder the leaders of the Elf Insurance company which was attempting to set up an office in Japan that would cut into Yotsuba\'s profits.



Mouth open in shock, Light tightened his grip on the back of Ryuuzaki\'s chair, assuming without looking that Ryuuzaki shared his emotions. "Everything is as we thought... This must be it...!" he heard himself announce, gaze on the screens.



Rather than agreeing immediately, Ryuuzaki contradicted Light\'s assertion in a voice that seemed more avid than it should-- the sharp interest he might display in a game of chess that was nearing the end but still had several key moves to play out to a finish. There was nothing at all of horror or surprise in his tone. "No, unfortunately, until those two who were mentioned actually die, it isn\'t sufficient." Calmly and precisely, Ryuuzaki outlined a plan to study the participants of the murder committee until the Elf employees actually died, and stated that if they were to do this they would definitely capture Kira. He toyed with the spoon in his sundae idly while he spoke, not glancing at Light or chief Yagami as the two shouted his name in outraged tandem.



Trying to catch Ryuuzaki\'s eye, Light stepped closer threateningly and leaned toward him. He respected Ryuuzaki in spite of their constant fighting, and that Ryuuzaki could plan something like that was too cold for words. It injured the part of him that had begun to think that perhaps Ryuuzaki really understood him too. "You plan to let those seven kill somebody in order to get to Kira, but we won\'t let you," he informed Ryuuzaki harshly.



Chief Yagami backed his son, stating again that they wouldn\'t allow Ryuuzaki to simply wait and gather evidence from the deaths of two men. As they spoke, Ryuuzaki continued to toy with his sweet snack in a depressed way. He watched the ceiling in apparent disinterest as he avoided Light\'s gaze pointedly and argued his true point-- that if they caught the Yotsuba employees now, they lacked any evidence to keep them. Kira wouldn\'t even necessarily be with the group, but he would most certainly be alerted by any arrests.



That was logic that Light could work with, and he felt himself warm to this new argument, speaking with reason and passion of the innocence of the Elf employees.



Ryuuzaki, of course, took the opportunity to ask if Light thought it was all right for them to die if they were criminals. Light snapped back at him, and their argument was quickly interrupted by the Yotsuba members discussing the fact that the first death would be within the next two days.



Ideas flew quickly between the detectives and Light, while Ryuuzaki held firm to his belief that if they waited they could obtain the evidence they needed to really capture Kira.



Surprisingly, Matsuda backed Ryuuzaki with something Aizawa had explained to him about the fact that Kira wouldn\'t have had to murder innocents like the FBI agents if there wasn\'t evidence out there to find.



In spite of that, chief Yagami pulled his cell phone out and reminded everyone that saving the Elf employee\'s life was the most important thing, even beyond catching Kira, and that the police had to be notified.



At this news, Light watched as Ryuuzaki curled in on himself, agreeing with chief Yagami in a defeated way.



The worst thing was that Light agreed with Ryuuzaki-- he believed the evidence was out there, and that alerting the police and trying to arrest the Yotsuba group this early in the game could only ruin all of their work and cost them their best chance at Kira. But the only alternative was to stand by and allow two humans to die for nothing more than the advancement of a corrupt and homicidal collection of individuals...



Or was it?



Acting quickly on his thought, Light asked Ryuuzaki the chances of calling Kira on accident if he talked to one of the employees. They came to an agreement on who the least likely to be Kira was, and Light made the call.



---



Within minutes, the Kira investigation had a reluctant new ally in the form of Reiji Namikawa, and Light had masqueraded as L to convince Namikawa to influence the other committee members to put off any murders for a month.



As Light and Ryuuzaki watched the committee meeting draw to an end, Ryuuzaki chewed thoughtfully at the end of his thumb. "...Maybe after I die, Yagami-kun can succeed in the name of L," he murmured.



Leaning comfortably over Ryuuzaki with one hand on the detective\'s chair near his back and one hand on the desk to see the screens more easily, Light frowned chidingly at Ryuuzaki. "Don\'t say things like that. Now we have one month to find out who Kira is and obtain evidence to go with it. It\'s not time to give up yet."



Finally looking at Light, Ryuuzaki agreed after a moment\'s pause. He mused out loud if Light might be more capable even than he, as Light had come up with the idea to save their investigation and the lives of the Elf Insurance company\'s men.



Trying not to give away his tension as he waited for the answer, Ryuuzaki spoke as casually as possible with his eyes on the now almost-empty committee room on-screen.



"If I were to die, would you take the position of L?"



Within seconds, Light caught on to the reason behind Ryuuzaki\'s question.



Obviously offended, the younger genius explained to the detectives what Ryuuzaki had been thinking: that if Light were to say yes, and Ryuuzaki were to die, Watari would pronounce Light to be Kira. Someone as intelligent as Light, who could play the roles of both Kira and L simultaneously, would have nearly unlimited power if he succeeded.



By explaining everything to the detectives, Light asserted that Ryuuzaki could no longer believe that Light was only pretending that he had no memories of being Kira.



Hunched up in his chair, Ryuuzaki listened, impressed and nervous by the extent to which Light had read his intentions.



"You believe that I lost all the memories I may have had of being Kira, right?" Light reiterated.



Still wondering when Light had gotten to know his mind so well, Ryuuzaki remained curled up. "Yes, I cannot think in any other way."



"Ryuuzaki..." Light\'s hand landed with gentle force on Ryuuzaki\'s shoulder, causing all of the muscles in the detective\'s back to tighten at once and his breath to escape him in silent surprise. Whatever Light was about to ask him, Ryuuzaki suspected that there was a high probability it wouldn\'t end pleasantly.



---



Light spun Ryuuzaki\'s chair to face him, hands resting on Ryuuzaki\'s shoulders and face earnest and open as he leaned toward the man who had recently become his lover. "Would you think that after I caught the current Kira, after that... I would become Kira... A murderer? Do you see me as such a human being?"



Forced to meet Light\'s eyes, Ryuuzaki kept his expression at its most blank. He spoke as clearly and simply as Light had. "I think so and I can see you as such."



Light closed his eyes for the moment it took the sharp stab of betrayal and hurt to transform into anger.



The moment ended, he took a breath, and his fist slammed solidly into Ryuuzaki\'s nose at the same instant the heel of Ryuuzaki\'s foot connected with Light\'s cheekbone.



---



Matsuda interrupted the fight almost as soon as it began, and Ryuuzaki and Light agreed to return to the investigation in the interest of time. "Returning to the investigation" apparently meant a continued attempt on chief Yagami\'s part to convince Ryuuzaki to go along with the older detective\'s plan of arresting the Yotsuba committee members. Listening and responding listlessly with half an ear on the conversation, Ryuuzaki concentrated on his thoughts.



He had never hidden his intention to stop the Kira murders at any cost. To the contrary, that had always been at the front of his actions, and it was one reason the other detectives were able to tolerate his often bizarre behavior.



He didn\'t think he had any need to apologize for that. At the same time, he had never made it a secret that Light had always been his primary suspect as the original Kira. Both of these facts were solid, and neither were things he felt any guilt about.



It was regretful that being told the obvious should have hurt Light, but unavoidable. Ryuuzaki had come to terms with the fact that the mind he had fallen for was in all likelihood owned by a murderous and megalomaniacal individual, even as it shared a skull in common with the Light he\'d come to think of as his only friend.



The sooner that Light could accept this as well, the better.



Ryuuzaki would have suspected that Light was agreeing with his father just to be irritating, but he knew that it was worse than that: Light\'s staunch insistence on morality and his personal sense of righteousness were for once interfering with the investigation rather than assisting it. Ryuuzaki had argued, in every way he could, that it was too early in the investigation to decide that Kira must be one of the seven Yotsuba employees and wasn\'t merely helping them. As he mulled his thoughts over, the dark-haired genius slowly added sugar cubes to his tea.



He could accept that chief Yagami and the detectives would refuse to understand. Now that they had lost their connections to the police force, they were useful for a simpler point of view or as extra hands when tedious work was needed, but on the whole their insights weren\'t consistent enough to make it worth the time he wasted arguing or explaining obvious facts that he and Light could determine intuitively.



So he informed chief Yagami that he would be operating alone to find Kira. Predictably, the man continued with his attempts to win Ryuuzaki over. Ryuuzaki tuned him out to concentrate more fully on his own thoughts.



If he needed to, Ryuuzaki could create a plan to lure the detectives back to his side. He couldn\'t really think why he might want to, but he assumed that they would probably gravitate back to him eventually if they didn\'t ruin the investigation first.



Losing Light as a teammate, however, would be a serious blow. With the boy\'s help, his pace was more than doubled, as Light could take Ryuuzaki\'s ideas without needing explanation and show him parts of his plans he wouldn\'t have thought of on his own. There was something satisfying in working alongside Light on such an interesting case, and he suspected that without Light he would have given up long ago.



If he needed Light, there were ways to catch him. After all, as the younger man insisted, Light was not the sociopath that Kira was and he had a sense of strongly developed right and wrong which should be easy enough to manipulate to Ryuuzaki\'s advantage.



With that much decided, Ryuuzaki only needed to improvise a plan. He should be able to think of that on the way to Misa\'s room.



Dropping the sugar cube he\'d been holding back into its dish, Ryuuzaki stood abruptly, abandoning both his untouched tea and the conversation without care and heading for the door as Light, protesting, was pulled along with him.



---



Misa was bored, sitting on the couch in her room and flipping through a magazine she\'d read three times already. This one had an interview with Misa in it, and she thought she could cut it out for Light later and show him, but she wished they\'d had a better picture of her inside. It made her face look all funny, and they used a color for the background that totally clashed with her outfit. Misa thought that maybe she should look into helping magazines with their layouts and picture-choices, too. This magazine could use it.



A faint beeping caught her trained ear, and Misa looked up with an expectant smile, ignoring Ryuuzaki to watch her love enter the room. "Light! Is today a date-okay day?" She opened her mouth to pout and complain about having Ryuuzaki along, but her girlfriend senses were tingling. Sitting up and dropping the magazine aside, she glanced between them. "Liiight! If you need to kiss someone, you should ask Misa! Misa is your girlfriend, not him!"



This seemed to actually surprise both geniuses, as Ryuuzaki froze on his determined way toward her and met Light\'s wide-eyed gaze. Swinging his dark eyes back to Misa, Ryuuzaki put his thumb to his mouth. "...I have no idea what Misa-san is referring to, but it would be interesting to hear your logic," he offered kindly. Light seemed to be recovering, as he shot Ryuuzaki a venomous frown.



Hopping up, Misa ran to Light and wound herself around his right arm possessively. "Misa isn\'t stupid! Light is wonderful, and Ryuuzaki has been with him more than Misa is allowed to, and Ryuuzaki sleeps with Light--"



"In the same bed, Misa, but the chain wouldn\'t stretch," Light protested, but she gave him a look that stated she thought he was being ridiculous with that argument. Especially since his cheeks were ever-so-faintly pink.



Not wanting him to be mad at her for acting that way, Misa hugged his arm and cuddled him, continuing quickly. "And Light never wears turtlenecks, even though they look amazing on him, and Ryuuzaki has marks all over his neck." Pouting, she stood on tip-toe to lean into Light with her hands behind his neck. "You could leave marks on Misa!" The idea made her shiver with delight, and she hugged him again. "You can do it now if you want!"



"M-- Misa!" Light protested, embarrassed as usual when she got overly affectionate and he actually noticed. Light attempted to pry her arms from his neck and push her gently off, but she knew it would take a few minutes for him to actually get annoyed and it made her happy to be close to him.



"Interesting..." she heard Ryuuzaki murmur. When she turned her head, she discovered the detective leaning weirdly close to her, and she recoiled as much as she could while remaining attached to Light. "Misa-san, do you love Light-kun?"



Blushing at the direct question, Misa still met his eyes with determination. "Yes. Very much. And even if you do too, you can\'t have him, because Light is Misa\'s Light and--"



"Misa, please," Light sighed.



"Yagami-kun, please don\'t interrupt," Ryuuzaki stated. Misa bristled when she felt Light tense, and she glared at Ryuuzaki protectively. She wouldn\'t just let that raccoon-eyed man chained to her Light get away with ordering him around like they were equals. Ryuuzaki leaned even closer, and Misa resisted the urge to shy away more, instead holding Light more tightly. "You love Light-kun, yet you also admire Kira. Between them, who would you choose?"



Misa blinked, then smiled up at Light. She had thought Ryuuzaki was supposed to be some sort of genius too, but he asked stupid questions. "Light, of course! I thank Kira and I would like to meet him, but I don\'t love him. It would definitely be Light."



"Light-kun wishes to capture him. Isn\'t that right, Light-kun?" Ryuuzaki asked. Bent close to Misa, Ryuuzaki turned his face up to look at Light.



"This sort of manipulation is too ridiculous, even for you," Light informed Ryuuzaki flatly. When the creepy detective didn\'t blink, Light sighed in annoyance. "Yes, that\'s obvious, isn\'t it? Of course I want to capture Kira."



Ryuuzaki nodded, apparently not having heard Light\'s insult. His dead black eyes turned back to Misa and he leaned way into her personal space. Pulling away almost to the point of losing her hold on Light, Misa lifted one hand to hold him off. "If Light wants to capture him, I think he should be captured as well."



Ryuuzaki kept asking ridiculous questions that made no sense to Misa, like who was Ryuuzaki, and who was L, and if she would help with the investigation if she could to be of use to Light. After that, though, he started to talk about a really complicated plan with some people she didn\'t know helping her to fool the Yotsuba businessmen.



Misa began to think that maybe Ryuuzaki wasn\'t as stupid as she\'d thought. After all, Light actually listened to him, and he trusted Misa to help Light. She wouldn\'t be stuck in her room except for work-- she would get out, and do something really useful!



Ryuuzaki finally paused after outlining his plan. He still wasn\'t really looking at either of them-- maybe he just liked to talk to walls when he thought? He was a really weird man.



"That sounds interesting, even though I haven\'t forgiven you for kissing Light, too, but... um..." Misa tilted her head up to study Light. He didn\'t seem happy with the plan, or with Ryuuzaki, but Misa thought it was a solid plan. Still, if Light said no, she would be good. "Light, you really want to capture Kira, right...?"



"...Yes, that is true. I want to capture Kira, but this is no good," Light told her seriously.



Blinking, Misa cocked her head. "Why?"



"Obviously, because it puts you in a dangerous situation."



Bubbly joy filled her, and Misa threw out her arms with a smile. "You\'re concerned for my safety? Yay!" Putting her hands together and almost wriggling with her happiness, she looked up at Light adoringly. She assured Light that if it were for his sake, she would risk it.



Light tried to argue, warning of several things that could go wrong, including capture and death. Ryuuzaki seemed to beat him at every point, however, and Misa only became more determined to help. When Ryuuzaki praised Misa for having the greatest love in the world for Light and told her that she was a worthy woman, Misa\'s misgivings about the eccentric man disappeared. Amazed to find someone who understood her so well, Misa threw her arms around Ryuuzaki and kissed his cheek.



"Ryuuzaki-- that\'s enough!"



The anger in Light\'s voice was almost touchable, and Misa looked over at him curiously. He was glaring at Ryuuzaki. Was he jealous? Smiling, Misa went to reassure him, but Light walked past her to grab the collar of Ryuuzaki\'s shirt and haul him roughly toward the door. Misa\'s disappointment was smothered by her happiness, and she waved at Light as the two men left. "By~e!" she called. "Come back soon, Light! This wasn\'t a real date-day yet!"



---



"What seems to be the problem, Light-kun?" Ryuuzaki requested blandly.



This was the third time he\'d asked. Light was still ignoring him, dragging Ryuuzaki determinedly through the hallways and out the elevator until they reached their suite and had the door safely closed on any cameras his father might have access to.



As soon as the door closed, Light slammed Ryuuzaki against it, fist clenched in the front of the detective\'s annoyingly baggy shirt and pressed close to Ryuuzaki\'s annoyingly expressionless face. "You know damn well what the problem is," Light hissed.



Ryuuzaki arched nearly invisible eyebrows in mock confusion. "It was Misa-san\'s choice to kiss me, Light-kun. If you were jealous--"



Light pulled him away, then hit him against the door again, control barely there. "That\'s not what I was talking about, Ryuuzaki. I know what you were doing. You can\'t risk Misa\'s life just to make me help you."



"I wasn\'t aware of doing that," Ryuuzaki replied tonelessly. His face was shut off again, and Light found himself missing the aggravating Ryuuzaki that relaxed around him, or at least attempted to. "If you see any flaws with my plan, or have some alternate suggestions, I am open to hear them. As it is, I am trying to use what resources are left to me in an attempt to finish this investigation. Now, if you would move, I am on a time limit--" he lifted one hand to brush Light aside, but Light refused to move.



"You aren\'t allowed to leave in the middle of a fight," Light told him in a tone that left no room for argument. He narrowed his eyes, relaxing his hold on Ryuuzaki only because his hand was beginning to sprain from being in a fist for so long. "You could have thought of something that didn\'t involve putting Misa in danger. We agreed to risk our lives to get Kira, she didn\'t."



"Do you think she wasn\'t serious?" Ryuuzaki asked without inflection, studying Light absently. "I believe that Misa-san would risk anything to help you, Light-kun. Just as the second Kira would risk anything for--" Ryuuzaki cut off with a strangled noise, as Light\'s lower arm was now across his neck and tilting his chin back.



"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Light snapped. Releasing Ryuuzaki abruptly, Light turned and walked several steps away while Ryuuzaki rubbed his throat. "I don\'t believe that you thinking of a plan that involves Misa is only a coincidence, Ryuuzaki. What I don\'t understand is exactly how pathetic you are right now. Either you just wanted me to be back on your team, so you invented this entire plan for that purpose, or you\'re mad at me for pulling away from you this morning, so you\'re trying to make me angry."



"..." Ryuuzaki went still, and Light recognized his expression as the other man analyzing Light\'s words to see if they had any truth. The detective blinked after a moment and put his hands into his pockets, slouching against the door. "...Having Light-kun on my side provides our investigation with the strongest chance of capturing Kira and ending the murders," Ryuuzaki finally admitted, looking at the ceiling to avoid Light\'s eyes. "Light-kun always expresses concerns over sacrificing others, so involving Amane-san was the fastest way to achieve my immediate goal. However," he added, cutting off Light\'s impending attack. His gaze dropped back to Light, spearing Light and making the younger man strangely self-conscious. Pushing away from the wall, Ryuuzaki stood straighter and paced slowly toward Light, still watching him intently. "My plan is still solid, however it was conceived. If Misa-san agrees to risk her life, she should be allowed to assist the man she loves, correct?"



Light took a half-step back before stopping himself and holding his ground. "...Correct," he concurred reluctantly. "If she agrees, I can\'t really stop her. Only if she\'s been provided with all of the risks, though," he added warningly, eyes narrowed again. "I won\'t let her go near Yotsuba again if she\'s only doing it because you told her it was that or letting Kira kill the both of us, and then told her how wonderful she is for being convinced she loves me."



The corner of Ryuuzaki\'s mouth lifted in a small smile, and he was almost to Light. Raising his chained hand, he gently brushed Light\'s bangs aside. The chain fell briefly against Light\'s arm, and the younger man jerked at the unexpected contact before holding still once more. His eyes never left Ryuuzaki\'s.



"We\'re even for today, Light-kun," Ryuuzaki asserted quietly. "I was angry with you this morning for being able to pull away. You were angry with me when I told you that I still believe you are Kira." He let his fingers drift from Light\'s hair and down his neck.



"I don\'t think you can compare your being annoyed that I wouldn\'t let you molest me when we were already late with you being convinced that I\'m a murderer with selective amnesia," Light responded dryly. He caught Ryuuzaki\'s wrist and frowned, watching the older man and trying to understand him. "...Why are you still pursuing... whatever it is you want from me, if you still believe that I\'m Kira?"



"...Light-kun..." Ryuuzaki studied Light intensely, and something in his gaze was almost melancholy in its absolute seriousness. "I will always believe that you are Kira. The evidence is too great..." When Light began to pull away with an exasperated frown, Ryuuzaki stepped after him and kept one hand firmly on the younger man\'s shoulder. "But," he continued, "We\'ve all been risking our lives since we began working closely together. Whatever I do, you\'re going to be a risk to my life as long as I\'m chasing Kira. At the same time, Light-kun is my only friend. I value our time together, even though it will end whenever your memories return, if they do."



"..." Light looked aside with a frown and a delicate snort. "You \'value our time\'... People don\'t say things like that, Ryuuzaki..."



Ryuuzaki shrugged, dropping his hand from Light\'s shoulder. "As Light-kun has informed me, I am eccentric and impossible."



"That is true," Light agreed dryly. "Which doesn\'t excuse your earlier attempt at using my morality against me to help you. For someone so focused on catching Kira, you don\'t seem to place a strong value on human life yourself, Ryuuzaki."



"The power of Kira has already killed thousands of people," Ryuuzaki pointed out. "Capturing and stopping Kira is worth all of our lives. I don\'t disregard the sacrifices that have already been made-- I believe that Kira should be made to pay for his sins. No..." Ryuuzaki lifted his thumb thoughtfully to his lips. "I believe that all of the Kira should pay. In the eyes of the law, that payment will be with their lives."



Clenching and unclenching one hand, Light forced an incredulous smile to a face that felt strangely stiff. "Ryuuzaki... That\'s going farther than accusing me of being Kira. You\'re telling me to my face that you think I should die for crimes you admit that I don\'t even have a memory of."



"Yes." Ryuuzaki nodded, and his black eyes were unreadable. "...Light-kun." He shuffled a half-step forward to rest his hand against Light\'s jaw, but Light jerked away with a warning frown. Ryuuzaki let him be, but his gaze stayed with hypnotic intensity on Light\'s. "Do you believe that Kira should die?"



Sensing the trap, Light spoke guardedly. "Of course I do, Ryuuzaki. Kira is too dangerous to keep in a prison, or to allow to stay alive. Especially with what we know of the first Kira... He would be too intelligent and too powerful to trust."



"I also believe that," Ryuuzaki agreed, and there was definite sadness in his dark eyes now. Light found his eyes drawn to the chain between them, blatant reminder of exactly how much the detective trusted Light. His jaw tightened angrily and he looked to Ryuuzaki again.



"Ryuuzaki, I\'m not Kira," Light informed him firmly, willing Ryuuzaki to believe for once. "Whatever the evidence..."



"You may be convinced of that, but I am not," Ryuuzaki interrupted with quiet finality. "You agree that Kira should be caught and killed. Do you also believe that Yagami-san\'s path is the best to achieve that goal?"



Staring at Ryuuzaki incredulously, Light furrowed his brows, surprised out of his anger. "You\'re still trying to get me on your side? Ryuuzaki..." He sighed, crossing his arms on his chest and giving the older man an exasperated look. "You need to work on your social skills. Trying to convince me to condemn myself to death isn\'t the best way to get me on your side and wanting to work with you again."



"..." Ryuuzaki looked to the ceiling, then back to Light. "...I will keep that in mind," he offered. "But my question stands."



Taking his own moment to pause and consider his options, Light eventually sighed. "Arresting the Yotsuba committee this early would most likely destroy our progress so far," he admitted reluctantly. "That doesn\'t mean I\'m going to enjoy working with you, or that I\'ll let you get away with any of the tricks you\'ve been trying today," he added. "But..." Light held up his right hand. "In the interest of the investigation, I suppose we can call a truce."



Ryuuzaki looked at Light\'s hand as if unsure what it was. After a moment, he gingerly lifted his own right hand, pausing to study the cuff on his wrist. "..." Touching first his forefinger and thumb to Light\'s, he cautiously clasped Light\'s hand with his own. "...A truce," he seconded, locking eyes with Light.



Something in Ryuuzaki\'s eyes told Light that the man was no closer to trusting in him, but Light gave him a determined smile anyway.



Whatever Ryuuzaki wanted to believe, Light would prove his innocence. Even if they had to kill a hundred Kira to manage it.



---



It had been more than a week since Ryuuzaki and Light had called their truce.



In that time, their investigation had moved along smoothly: As far as the Yotsuba group knew, Aver was Erald Coil, and they had a meeting with Amane-san for tomorrow to try to extract information on L from her. Amane-san and Aver had been practising their parts for the past several days, and even Ryuuzaki was impressed with how well they were coming along.



All in all, the Kira investigation was going perfectly.



It was his relationship with Light that had come to a stalemate.



With forced patience, Ryuuzaki waited for Light to finish his shower. Since Light had realized that Ryuuzaki was still convinced of his guilt, Light had informed him that Ryuuzaki\'s attraction was at odds with his suspicion, and as such Light wouldn\'t allow Ryuuzaki to touch him again until Ryuuzaki actually believed that Light was not Kira.



And Ryuuzaki had tried.



That was perhaps the most frustrating part; he had become desperate enough to question months of sound and consistent reasoning, wondering if Light\'s persistent certainty of innocence had any merit past denial.



Now, standing by the door in unwanted chastity, Ryuuzaki curled his toes, hunched his shoulders, and tried not to imagine water streaming over skin he\'d only been able to really explore that once. He wondered if this abstinence was as difficult for Light as it was for him, or if the younger man genuinely didn\'t care.



He\'d assumed he understood Light-- then again, he hadn\'t thought that realizing that Ryuuzaki still believed he was a murderer would have gone over so badly with him, either.



In many ways, Light\'s thinking matched Ryuuzaki\'s perfectly. It aggravated him that on this one point Light was being so incredibly stubborn and refusing to see logic. No matter how Ryuuzaki turned and prodded the facts of the investigation, he couldn\'t stop his conviction. Light was Kira. Amane-san was the second Kira. He knew this to the core of his being.



All he lacked was evidence.



Sighing, Ryuuzaki cast another regretful glance at the shower.



He had been persistent as well, the first few days of their truce. But the second time Light slipped in the shower while violently trying to avoid him, Ryuuzaki had promised to stop trying to bend Light\'s resolution when it might actually hurt Light.



So he\'d focused on the night-time instead, distracting the younger man with kisses or caresses. That had almost worked, once, before Light came to his senses on the bed with Ryuuzaki laying on him. He\'d kicked Ryuuzaki off with enough force to bruise and hadn\'t talked to Ryuuzaki about anything but the case for two days.



"Light-kun...?" he asked over the spray of the shower.



"What, Ryuuzaki?" came the irritated reply, drifting through the shower curtain. "And if you pull open the curtain, I will injure you. Just to be clear. Well?"



Ryuuzaki shifted, hands in his pockets. Reviewing the shower tapes was always a difficult time for him now-- at least when he was sure his attraction to Light was one-sided, it was easier to compartmentalize his unwanted hormonal reaction and focus on making sure Light did nothing suspicious. Now any image of Light unclothed brought back memories that made it hard for Ryuuzaki to concentrate on the case and not just pin Light down and see if he kept resisting. That would be dangerous, yes, but it might be interesting as well...



"Ryuuzaki?" Light prompted, tone more wryly questioning than annoyed. "You did have a reason to say my name before, didn\'t you?" A pause, and then the curtain swished slightly open as half of Light\'s face peered out suspiciously, obviously having a worry that Ryuuzaki might be doing something else that would inspire an unintentional calling of Light\'s name. Knowing the detective\'s perversions intimately now, Light wasn\'t convinced the man wouldn\'t stoop to masturbating outside of the shower.



Guessing Light\'s fear after an instant, Ryuuzaki smiled slightly. "I have more control than that, Light-kun," he reminded. "I was analyzing our situation."



"Oh." Suspicions eased, Light let the curtain close again, apparently disinclined to ask for details.



"..." Ryuuzaki fidgeted his toes again, head down to study them. "Does Light-kun find this as difficult as I do...?" he wondered aloud.



There was a sigh, followed by the water turning off. In the resulting silence, Light pulled the curtain fully open and accepted the towel Ryuuzaki held carefully up to him. "What did you say?" he asked Ryuuzaki in a nettled way as he towelled his hair.



Waiting until Light\'s face reappeared as the younger man began to dry his body, Ryuuzaki finally spoke, keeping his tone inflectionless. "I asked if ignoring me and pushing me off is easy for you, Light-kun. You have mentioned hating me before, and that it must be our forced proximity that caused my attraction, even if I disagree... Is this easy for you?" He turned his head to focus more fully on Light.



Delaying for time as he considered, Light continued to towel himself off and then gathered his clothes for the night. "Of course it isn\'t \'easy\', Ryuuzaki," he responded in a quietly reproachful way, avoiding the detective\'s gaze by concentrating on getting dressed. "Aside from how annoying it is when you keep pushing me after I\'ve made up my mind. But..." Light gave Ryuuzaki a direct look, eyes adamant and jaw set. "I\'m not going to give in just because of some misguided circumstantial attraction. You think I\'m Kira. If you can believe I would be a person like that..." Shaking his head, Light pulled on his shirt and held out his hand for the cuff. "When you can see me for who I really am, we\'ll have this conversation again, all right? Until that point, I\'m going to focus only on capturing the real Kira. We\'re getting close now."



Ryuuzaki nodded slowly, still watching Light with a neutral expression. Re-cuffing the younger man, Ryuuzaki opened the bathroom door, tensing against the rush of cool air after the steam and humidity. "...Light-kun finally confesses to his attraction?" he clarified.



Sighing, Light ran his fingers through his hair, letting it air-dry briefly before he would return and blow it dry. "Is that all you heard?" he asked dryly. "Yes, Ryuuzaki. For some reason, I can only assume stress-induced madness, I no longer hate your messy hair and horrible sense of fashion." Light paced with Ryuuzaki down the short hall to their bedroom. "The verdict is still out on whether I can stand your strange monkey-toes and bizarre habits, though, so don\'t get over-confident," he added.



Preceding Light into the room, Ryuuzaki paused thoughtfully and looked back at Light with his eyes widened. "...Then, Light-kun, in the interest of speed... I can use my notebook tonight, correct?"



Narrowing his eyes, Light flicked the light off and headed for bed. "No, Ryuuzaki. You\'re not that attractive. After all, I still need my rest to function at full capacity."



Ryuuzaki sighed, having expected an answer like that. Going to his side of the bed, he cast another glance at Light. "...Then, could we have sex?" he asked with some lingering hope. "It would help me to sleep as well--" he cut himself off to dodge Light\'s thrown pillow. Looking behind himself at the discarded object, Ryuuzaki spoke musingly. "Light-kun could have just said no," he observed.



The next pillow caught Ryuuzaki in the back of the head.



Stubbornly, Light climbed under the covers without his pillow, laying down and closing his eyes firmly. "Goodnight, Ryuuzaki."



"..." Collecting the pillow he could reach with the chain connecting them, Ryuuzaki returned it to Light. "Goodnight, Light-kun," he replied quietly.



Opening his eyes to glance at the offered pillow, Light followed Ryuuzaki\'s arm with his eyes to study Ryuuzaki a moment before relenting and taking the pillow. Sighing, he motioned Ryuuzaki closer.



Cautiously obeying after a moment of thought, Ryuuzaki perched warily beside Light, ready to dodge back should Light be laying a trap. He froze in surprise when Light\'s fingers found their way into his hair, pulling Ryuuzaki insistently down. Leaning up to meet him, Light pressed his lips to Ryuuzaki\'s only to find the detective still tense from suspicion.



Rolling his eyes, Light frowned at the older man. "Well? This is a kiss. If you don\'t take advantage of it, you\'re encouraged to participate," he remarked sarcastically.



Needing no further encouragement but feeling his stomach strangely twisted, Ryuuzaki met the next kiss equally, and the two lingered for a moment with their lips chastely together.



When the tip of Light\'s tongue traced along Ryuuzaki\'s lip, Ryuuzaki let out a shaky breath, supporting himself with his hands on the bed as he leaned into it. "Light-kun..." he murmured in protest, voice thicker than he\'d heard it in a week. "Please..."



Releasing Ryuuzaki almost regretfully, Light licked his lips and looked away, breathing as carefully as the detective above him. "That\'s all, until you believe me," he asserted quietly.



Swallowing with difficulty, Ryuuzaki pressed his forehead to Light\'s temple as he calmed his breathing. "I thought Light-kun wasn\'t a sadist," he commented.



Light frowned slightly. "I didn\'t mean it to hurt you," he corrected. A small smile curved his lips and he slid his gaze back to Ryuuzaki. "Maybe I just wanted to remind you of what you can\'t have while you persist with your ridiculous assertion of my guilt."



"...You know it isn\'t ridiculous," Ryuuzaki murmured. Light stiffened beneath him, and Ryuuzaki rolled to his side to watch the younger man. "I\'ve been trying to see you as innocent, Light-kun, but you know..."



"All of the evidence points to me," Light concluded for him, face turned away from Ryuuzaki. Moonlight from the window showed the clenched set of Light\'s jaw but shrouded his eyes in shadow. "I know, I\'ve seen the same evidence... But it\'s impossible to believe."



"Not impossible," Ryuuzaki demurred quietly. "Light-kun just doesn\'t want to see it."



"Can\'t." Turning his face to Ryuuzaki, Light appeared to be imploring the detective to understand. "I can\'t believe it. It isn\'t a question of \'want\'-- if I\'m capable of being Kira, then I don\'t know myself at all. Would you be able to accept that?"



After a hesitation, Ryuuzaki trailed his fingers through Light\'s bangs to rest his hand against the curve of Light\'s jaw. "As Light-kun mentioned, my actions have caused criminals to die before," he pointed out. "I have less power than Kira, and am not trying to reform the world, but we have both killed. If all evidence told me that I was Kira, I would try to understand what about myself made me capable of doing those things. With Light-kun... I believe you wanted a better world. The method for attaining it is evil, but the ideal is... noble."



Light closed his eyes, and Ryuuzaki watched the faint signs that escaped the younger man\'s controlled expression as emotions and questions wreaked havoc behind the calm mask. After a moment, Light took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, placing his hand over Ryuuzaki\'s with more force than he had probably intended to-- almost with desperation. His gaze was unwavering. "We will capture Kira, Ryuuzaki. Somehow... there has to be a way for me to be innocent."



Unwilling to lie, Ryuuzaki only managed a small nod. With effort, he kept the disappointment and an emotion akin to sympathy locked behind his own mask.



---





Their plans had gone better than anyone could have believed, and the net around the third Kira was set and drawing tight.



Seated beside Ryuuzaki in the passenger side of a helicopter the detective had learned to fly by instinct only minutes before, Light kept his focus on the vidscreen before him and watched as Higuchi\'s car raced at a breakneck speed for Yotsuba\'s head office.



As predicted, the man had been growing increasingly desperate, searching for Matsuda\'s name and face before the man could release his name on Sakura TV. If he found them-- if the detectives or Weddie had made any mistakes in removing the information available to Higuchi-- Matsuda would die. If Higuchi failed, he would be caught.



Light\'s stomach was tense and nervous with adrenaline, and he found his heart racing unexpectedly fast as they sped through the sky. Below them, the city was a map of glowing darkness with lights in white and red and neon signs glaringly bright.



Ryuuzaki\'s voice came to him through the bulky headphones of the chopper as the detective confirmed with Weddie that all information about Matsuda had been taken from Yotsuba\'s office, and all security footage erased.



As the helicopter hovered, Higuchi swerved his car to a stop at the office, tearing from his car and into the building. Minutes later, his small figure reappeared on the screen, obviously desperate now as he slammed into his vehicle again and took off for the TV studio.



After alerting his father to be ready for Higuchi\'s arrival, Light risked a glance at Ryuuzaki. The detective was hunched in his seat as he flew, gaze focused on the flying and their plan. Sensing eyes on him, he turned his head slightly, and Light gave him a small, fierce smile. Ryuuzaki\'s dark eyes widened briefly, and he gave a faint nod before returning to his task. Looking to the vidscreen once more, the younger man felt a grim satisfaction. They almost had him-- Kira would be theirs, and within the hour if their plan worked smoothly.



---



Kira was not a fish that would allow himself to be caught easily.



The net, as it turned out, had several crucial holes in it: Aber\'s reluctance to use guns, chief Yagami\'s direct refusal to carry one while no longer being a detective, and Higuchi unexpectedly possessing one. Four people in the Sakura TV trap became inadequate when only one was able to shoot the suspect if attacked.



Chief Yagami had been shot protecting Weddie, and Higuchi had escaped to the road once more.



The situation was looking questionable. And then... The police arrived. Unexpectedly and in force, windows tinted to keep the third Kira from seeing the occupants inside and killing them, they cut off Higuchi\'s escape.



Leaning out of the helicopter, Watari fired a single, calm shot from his sniper rifle, and Higuchi\'s car spun out of control against a wall before the man could try to swerve his car and race away.



Putting his gun to his own head, Higuchi shouted at the cops to stay away.



"What an idiot..." Ryuuzaki commented.



Hands steady in spite of his advanced age, Watari shot the gun from Higuchi\'s hand.



Ryuuzaki watched with Light as Higuchi, powerless and defeated, stepped from his car with hands upraised to be blindfolded and handcuffed by chief Yagami. The man confessed that he killed people by means of a notebook, hidden in the car.



With the helicopter now safely on the ground, Ryuuzaki poured sweetened tea from a thermos into a waiting teacup Watari had had the foresight to bring with them and waited for chief Yagami to see if that claim was true.



After both men dropped the notebook, screaming and claiming they could now see a monster, Ryuuzaki forgot his tea. It was too much to believe-- had the first two Kira been telling the truth all along, with their hints about a reaper and the eyes of a God of Death?



The notebook was brought to him; Ryuuzaki held it carefully by the edges.



And Ryuuzaki saw it: inhumanly stretched out, skin white and covered in bandages, towering feet above the detectives surrounding it. Almost forgetting to breathe, he kept widened eyes on the monster as his mind echoed with the sound of facts clicking into place.



Amane had seen Light on the twenty-second at Aoyama... She had known his name but couldn\'t explain it, and loved him instantly... Her hint had said to show their notebooks... So... There must be another notebook somewhere.



Lost in his thoughts, Ryuuzaki only realized that the notebook was out of his hands when he heard Light screaming.



---



Light remembered everything.



His plan had gone almost exactly as he had hoped, and he was certain that the discrepancies could be worked through.



The end to his troubles was at hand. Soon, Ryuuzaki would be dead, and Light\'s path to becoming the god of his new world would be clear.



He distracted the already deeply shaken Ryuuzaki with the plan of checking the names of the criminals in the notebook against those in their archives, all the while unlocking the secret compartment in his watch and writing Higuchi\'s name on the scrap of death note kept there. It was child\'s play... Ryuuzaki hadn\'t even asked about his scream, he had assumed it was from seeing Rem.



Maybe there were benefits to having the detective infatuated with him. Having concern instead of suspicion as his first thought wasn\'t like the L Light remembered at all. Still, the man was a genius, and tempting fate by pretending to still be his lover couldn\'t be thought to be an intelligent plan.



In any case, Ryuuzaki would soon be dead, and Misa, when she inevitably made the eyes-deal with Ryuk, would be much more useful to Light\'s future.



The last line of the kanji to Higuchi\'s name was scratched in blood on the paper scrap, and Light surreptitiously swallowed the piece. Feigning shock when the third Kira convulsed and died, Light was laughing in his mind. Just like that, he had won-- the detectives would study the notebooks, discover the false rules Ryuk had added... and Light and Misa would be found innocent.



His gaze slid to Ryuuzaki and he hid a smirk. Check, Ryuuzaki.



He wondered what futile defenses Ryuuzaki would put up, or if he would be dead before he even realized the trap was closing around him.



---



Ryuuzaki lined coffee creamers up carefully in front of his keyboard, stacking them precisely on top of each other as he questioned Rem.



The group had returned to headquarters after the third Kira had died. Though there was talk of it being a possible suicide, the conclusion became a general question mark. Higuchi\'s sudden death was unexplained, and Rem was either being purposely unhelpful or knew next to nothing about what it actually meant to be a god of death or for a human possessing a death note.



On top of that, Ryuuzaki constantly felt Light\'s eyes straying to him, as if the younger man were making sure that the detective could see the walls closing in. There was a new Kira out there for them to catch, one that had murdered Higuchi. That... Or the original Kira was back. But Ryuuzaki lacked any proof, and the evidence he had only proved Light\'s innocence. Obviously, he couldn\'t get away any longer with using his conviction of Light\'s guilt to rationalize confining and observing him again...



Agreeing with Light that the boy and Misa must be innocent if the thirteen-day rule was correct, Ryuuzaki stacked another creamer with intense focus. "...We\'re going to stop observing Misa..." he decided, unable to think of a way out of it with the detectives still there. "Since she isn\'t a part of the investigating team, we can\'t have her here. And we don\'t want to involve her in this investigation any longer..."



"Then I suppose when I meet with Misa it will have to be outside..." Light mused with a sigh.



Ryuuzaki\'s hand jerked in surprise, and the creamers scattered. Heart hammering, Ryuuzaki looked up at Light. "You want to meet her?"



"Ryuuzaki, she\'s the woman who said \'I love you\' to me so many times, and even risked her life for me. It is only natural for someone who is loved that much, and so persistently, to have their heart moved..."



Wondering if his stomach had possibly been upset by the idea of trying to swallow that information, Ryuuzaki sat tensely in his computer chair, toes clenched together out of sight. "...You mean you fell in love with her?" he asked. It couldn\'t be-- one day ago, Misa had been an annoyance to Light, kept near only because of her identity as the second Kira. Light had implied that when Kira was caught, he might be with Ryuuzaki...



The detective took a steady breath. This had too many possibilities, he had to be careful. Either Light had been avoiding Ryuuzaki because he was falling in love with Amane-- which would also be an alternative explanation for his defense of her-- or the Light that he had known was no longer inhabiting the younger man\'s body. Kira was once more making it his home. Either way, this wasn\'t evidence he could tell the detectives about...



He listened with half an ear as Light confirmed that it might be love, and Matsuda and the others expressed their pleasure at his confession.



---



That night, for the first time in months, Ryuuzaki was alone.



With Light having chosen a separate suite, claiming his relief at being free, the detective curled on the covers of the queen-sized bed.



For a time, he simply watched the cameras on his notebook, studying the place where Light used to be.



It was three in the morning, but Light wasn\'t there to tell him turn off the light, stop typing and let him sleep. Candy wrappers and snacks littered the covers, but Light wasn\'t there, and couldn\'t tell him his habits were disgusting and to clean up after himself, that he shouldn\'t expect a maid to walk in.



It was... disconcerting.



Finally giving in to his instincts, Ryuuzaki took the notebook and left the room, curling on the couch and pushing aside the pieceless chessboard he and Light had used to kill the hours between work and sleep. For a time, he stared at the board, arranging it with one finger until it was centered exactly on its side of the coffee table. His mind replayed past conversations and arguments, and he found himself smiling. "Light-kun always forgets the pawn," he murmured to himself.



He had a feeling he would never see that Light again.



Although... Ryuuzaki froze, the thought turning in his mind. Light and Kira must have similarities. If he was lucky, this could be one of them. Could Light have really planned for every eventuality? Or would one useful piece be overlooked?



Opening his notebook again, Ryuuzaki contacted Watari.



"Watari, we have a change of plans. Put me into contact with Weddie..." Ryuuzaki\'s hands clenched on his knees, but his expression stayed calm. "Kira has regained his memories."





-----





"Slept so Long" is sung by Jay Gordon of Orgy or by Korn, depending. It is one of the few good things to come from the bastardization that was the film version of Queen of the Damned. For some reason, "Love Today" and "Lollipop" by Mika make me feel really inspired for writing.



Sorry this took so long! Almost a month, yeesh. I had to reread manga 6 about three times writing it for plot points though, that\'s the main reason. From here on in, things get interesting and deviate more from the canon, though I\'ll still try to keep everyone in character.



To everyone who\'s stayed with me this far reading, thank you so much! Last chapter got almost a thousand hits. I don\'t understand, but it made me crazily happy.



Replies to Reviews begin now:



Nusku: Heh, you may get your wish in chapter nine, if Kira gets his way.



Shido Burrito: Thanks very much! I was concerned, so I\'m glad someone liked it.



Enslavement_Thesis: *laughs* It took me longer than hoped to update. You like Robin Hobb though? You\'re one of my new favorite people, you are. (Um, I checked your profile on a whim.) Did the last book in Tawny Man trilogy make you cry, too? It took me years to recover... (I\'m joking, I still haven\'t recovered. I hope she writes more!)



ninetailedfoxx852: Thanks for staying with me so far! I\'m happy I could make your day.



Yami Bakura: I like replying to people, I\'m a babbly person and any interest is really appreciated. That part was especially fun to write, trying to keep them snarky while being intimate. This chapter has a sad lack of continued perversion, so hopefully that wasn\'t too disappointing to everyone. ...Omg! You wrote \'My Son Has Lost His Mind\'! I didn\'t connect that to your name. Yay! You read my story.



Loqui: Thanks so much for saying that! And yeah, I\'ve seen too many fics like that-- and movies, books, etc-- and they\'re really frustrating to me. I prefer when sex doesn\'t appear to fundamentally change the person\'s personality for no good reason overnight.



KrystalChronicals: Here you go!



Hellagoddess: I\'d suggest reading \'Once is Once\' too-- it\'s up on AFF, and it\'s a gem, though she hasn\'t updated in a long while. It\'s quite interesting. Thank you for mentioning specific things you like, and I\'ve never had fanart before! It would make me insanely happy. I found Light weirdly fun to write, and Kira is even more so-- L takes more effort sometimes, he\'s very controlled but with quirks that get out of him in odd ways. Sorry to keep you waiting, though!



Tylendel: Are you a Mercedes Lackey fan, Tylendel? Also, thank you so much for recommending me on your page! I\'m incredibly flattered, and your reply made me delighted. If I remember, seeing that, plus your screenname, made me hop happily on my seat and gibber or something close. Also, I read every chapter at least twice before I post it, so the version I put up is as typo-less as possible, but I still get so used to my writing I read what I mean to say and not always what I really wrote, which is frustrating.



Riven Liether: Thanks!



Murder Junkie: You\'re very welcome! To me, they feel like they think on very different levels, even though they\'re often very much alike in their thinking patterns on the whole. It\'s interesting trying to capture the different perspectives.



Renai_Unmei: Thanks so much! I want to play genius chess, but sadly lack a genius mind or genius partner to play against.



Shinigami Mothman: L is good at everything except eating candy while thinking and not eating the wrapper as well, yes. You like the Light/Mikami pairing more, right? I\'m glad you read my story then, and that you feel inspired, but don\'t feel shame! That would make me feel horrible.