Title: Reigning On Heaven

Rating: T

Categories: Angst/Friendship with a little bit of romance.

Pairing: Eventual L x Raito

Warning(s): AU. A bit of angst, because Raito’s parents die. Character Death. Eventual yaoi.

Summary: AU. Raito attends Whammy's after losing his family. Years later, Kira is added to the equation; will Raito fight a justice he secretly agrees with, or will he succumb to Kira's righteous enthrall, even if it means losing L too?

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Chapter Sixteen - A Fortiori

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The thing about pillows is, they’re much softer than walls.

So when slamming one’s fist into them, bones don’t break. Raito thought this was much more practical than hitting a wall. Raito rammed his fist into his pillow five or so times (or, at least, that was the number he was going with, because the actual one would make it seem like he was overly affected by the kiss) and his knuckles were perfectly fine.

Raito had not made any sound as he’d beaten the pillow, no growls of frustration or sighs of exertion, he was silent in his fury, because he was just good like that. Or rather, because the only thing between L and him was a wall and a door, which wasn’t enough to stop the sound from reaching the detective. He would kill himself before admitting that the man’s little show had affected him.

Which it hadn’t.

The kiss had surprised him. Of course it had, it would have been ridiculous if it hadn’t. What self-respecting boy expected his (male) best friend to kiss them? Especially like that. Honestly, that wasn’t like last time. There shouldn’t have even been a first time, but since there was, there was a comparison -but no, that kiss L had given him when he was fifteen was nothing compared to what had just happened.

That kiss in the hill was only labeled a kiss because there was nothing better to call it.

What had happened in the hotel, that was a kiss. Again, not the best sort of kiss (Raito imagined it was typically better if both parties participated) but still. L had pushed him to the wall, plastered his thin body against his tightly and practically ravished his mouth. There were lips, teeth, saliva and tongue, there was heat in between them, a thin layer that lined with their clothing where the contours of their bodies met.

That was fucking kiss. And…well…there was no doubt now, was there?

L obviously didn’t care about him at all. Not that Raito expected him to, or that it was entirely surprising considering the adorable little test the man had given him a few weeks before but -in any case, it made Raito mad. The only thing he’d been able to think of when he was pressed against the wall with L’s tongue down his throat was ‘How dare he!?’.

It was probably the most self-centered action that Raito had ever encountered, and Raito knew all about self-centeredness. He didn’t find it to be a horrible quality in a person, really, but L managed to make it so. Ignoring every social grace and violating Raito without a thought -for what? Another damn test? Or just because he could, because he wanted to?

Even if, by some of the stretch of the imagination, L was attracted to him, Raito really couldn’t give a damn. They’d kissed once before, and Raito had broken his hand, because he’d been so angry about it. He’d kissed Dame, and felt nothing. Raito knew people were doomed to be infatuated with him, but honestly he was pretty sure that it was impossible for him to feel that way in return. Misa, Dame, Teru and now L? He supposed it should be an honor to have the great L kiss him, like kissing him (apparently) but it wasn’t. In fact, he didn’t even see L in such a light.

Although he knew consciously who L was, that he was the best detective in the world and quite possibly the smartest man alive, his mind immediately connected him to ‘friend’. He did not see him as a giant to whom he had to look up to and admire, as most people did, and as he probably would have if he had not spent the last three years as his companion.

That was, of course, completely disregarding the other small detail of L’s gender. Which was, unavoidably, male. Not that females were Raito’s type either, admittedly. He just…wasn’t romantically inclined in any direction. Yes, that was a good way to say it. He wasn’t romantically inclined -and Raito damn well liked it that way.

As an intellectual, Raito thrived on complexity, he’d probably die of boredom if he didn’t, but that was in matters of the mind. Not the -heart? -no, not the heart. The…fickle hormones and false need to feel wanted that most people felt they had to have. Romance, love, sex…they were weaknesses, not to mention not within his range of interest at all.

And the fact that L had kissed him -kept kissing him -as if to force him into the same cycle of quixotic

mediocrity that the rest of the race seemed so enthralled by…like that was something that Raito would actually be tempted to partake in.

It pissed Raito off.

The first time it had happened, he hadn’t recognized it for what it was. He was just confused, and he could forgive himself for considering for even a moment that he might have liked L. Blame it on his young age. He was not susceptible to such seduction, even by someone as clever as L, and it was fairly insulting for L to assume that he was. He wasn’t sure how many others the detective had tried it on, but really.

He was the top student at Whammy’s, he was working on the Kira case, he was a genius. As if mundane persuasion, like something as simple as a kiss, could coax him into -what? Love? A relationship?

Well, it couldn’t. And Raito had made sure that L had gotten the hint.

By not reacting, L would surely conclude that he was not disgusted by the prospect -but not interested in it either. That would be enough to assure him that he was not put off by his -preference -but he was put off by the fact that it was him. Hopefully that would be enough.

Although, Raito thought, as he dove his face into the pillow that he’d just gotten through beating, L rarely stopped when it was enough. He liked pushing boundaries, and had no respect for personal space.

Oh well. Next time he’d just punch the bastard himself. Wasn’t exactly the pillows fault, after all.

Raito woke up the next morning, around eight in the morning, and after taking a shower and getting dressed for his study date with Teru, he immediately set out. He made as little noise as possible, although he was rather sure that L heard him anyway, and opened the door cautiously. Despite his assurance that L had actually heard him, the detective did nothing to retain him.

If he had, Raito was pretty sure it wouldn’t have ended well for either of them. Because he was going to the library with Teru, whether or not L wanted him to. He was a suspect, and therefore it was Raito’s obligation to spend as much time with him as possible to ascertain his identity as Kira. Even if L was being obstinate and -and irrational due to whatever he might be feeling for Raito.

Raito was debating on whether or not such a mistake should make L loose some respect in his eyes or if he should forgive the error as a one time thing. He hadn’t decided yet. He supposed that he’d have to see if L continued on with this behavior or wised up and left well enough alone.

Shutting the door behind him quietly and heading to the elevator, Raito straightened out his white button-up shirt, tugging it down where it had bunched up around his waist and then pushed the down button. The small ding as the door opened disrupted the silence in the hall and he shut himself in the small steel compartment, the thick mechanical doors closing him in.

There was a long wait until he got until the bottom, his stomach feeling outside of him for most of the trip, a sensation that was strongly associated with both ‘kissing L’ occasions. It was not a pleasant feeling, and a sort of surprised clenching nausea gripping at his intestines as making him want to be as still as possible. He gripped the railing slightly, frowning as his thoughts continued to focus on one man, whom he was attempting to leave behind.

That wasn’t right. He needed to stop. Stop thinking about it altogether. He was giving the kiss power by letting it pervade his mind so thoroughly, by letting it soak his thoughts he was allowing it to mean something other than anger, which just wasn’t acceptable. Anger was an emotion Raito could deal with, he’d admit that at times he had a short fuse (especially where L was concerned) but he could handle it -it was always short-lived and barely ever impaired his judgment.

He had more important things to worry about, anyway.

Teru. Misa. Kira. They were much more important that an meaningless little act that had occurred last night. He needed to focus on putting Kira away. Even if L wasn’t.

He needed to.

He took a cab to his fake apartment, collected his books, and then walked the four blocks that there was to the coffee place around the corner. It was only ten, and Teru wouldn’t be there for another hour and a half at least, so Raito had time to kill. He set himself up at the coffee shop, putting his notes together and in order by chapter and scanning them quickly, highlighting a few important details and sipping on coffee.

When the time came, he got his things together and started across the street to his school. He followed the cement path to the benches, where he found Teru already waiting, suitcase in hand, staring up into the leaves and branches of the tree above.

Raito walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Teru tensed slightly in surprise and turned around, and immediately Raito smiled at him.

“Good afternoon,” Raito said, letting his hand fall to his side and his smile fall into a softer grin.

“Same to you,” Teru nodded, the corner of his mouth curving upwards just a bit, “I hope you slept well. That is always essential for cramming.”

“Well enough, I suppose,” Raito shrugged easily, because there was no way to explain that sleep had been interrupted many times by his irritated brain, which refused to shut up about the damn kiss. “But lets get started, shall we?”

“Of course,” Teru nodded, raising an eyebrow behind the black rims of his glasses as they started toward the library. There were leaves crunching under the heels of his shoes and the fresh air rushed into his nose, reminding him that he was out of the dreaded hotel room.

Raito shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other and reached for the door to the library, but Teru got to it first, muttering ‘Allow me.’ with a flicker of a smile. They set up their books in order and pulled out their notes for each class, notes that were written in equally neat kanji. Teru’s was larger than Raito’s, more box-like and precise while Raito’s swooped and curved and stopped in all the correct places as though he’d gone to school to perfect his calligraphy.

They began going over the notes, asking each other questions, quizzing each other on different aspects of their classes. Most of their answers were correct, and nearly none of them were completely wrong, just not elaborate enough for the other person’s liking. Raito found himself actually enjoying himself, a strange thing since he almost never studied with anyone in Whammy’s except Dame -and that was more for her benefit than his.

Most of the students, except for Oil, who he couldn’t stand, were either not smart enough for him or not social enough to want to study with him. Near, for example. Mello and Matt were smart enough, but would probably rather study with each other than him, and the rest of the students either hated or worshiped him. And L wasn’t someone to study with, even if he was smart enough. He was….L.

Teru was smart enough for him to tolerate, and while the man obviously liked him…it wasn’t in an obnoxious way. Raito sort of hoped the man wasn’t Kira. What a waste of a friendship that would be.

He was glad there was no proof of it, and it was just his intuition. Which wasn’t enough for a case. Usually that was a bad thing, but in this case, Raito would hate to loose a study partner. They had conversations about concepts, and when the book didn’t supply them with enough information they looked it up on the internet and shared information with each other to better understand the entire idea.

“Everyone’s heard about the woman that sued McDonalds for the hot coffee,” Raito stated as his slender fingers typed in related cases, “But you wouldn’t believe the other cases there have been.”

“I never underestimate the potency of human stupidity,” Teru responded, idly flipping through the pages in his book. Raito could tell that those eyes were not focused on the typed letters but instead on the nape of Raito’s neck as he stared at the computer. Raito didn’t try to withhold his smirk at Teru’s not-so-inconspicuous staring, passing it off for amusement at the man’s sentiment.

“True,” Raito replied, “We’ll probably have to give an example of one of these cases, and everyone will use the McDonalds one.”

“That’s correct. Sensei Katsui does value originality.”

“Hm,” Raito agreed with a curt nod of his head, “A drunk man stopped his car in the middle of the road and fell asleep. He got hit by a semi truck and his parents sued the seatbelt company.”

“That is…” Teru’s hand faltered on the page.

“…illogical,” Raito finished for him, “At least the coffee wasn’t completely the woman’s fault.”

Teru stood up and walked the few steps that separated him and Raito and bent over his shoulder to look at the computer. “A man…sued himself?”

“Yeah, but listen to the story,” Raito said, scrolling down, noting Teru’s hair ticking his neck, “He was in jail, and tried to sue himself for drinking the alcohol that cause him to commit the crime. He sued for 5 million dollars, and said that the state should pay him since the defendant -which was him - had no money.”

“Was he attempting to be clever?” Teru asked, the hand that lay on the corner of the back of Raito’s chair shifted just a bit so that two of his fingers brushed Raito’s shoulder.

“Who knows,” Raito allowed himself to scowl briefly, while simultaneously pulling the slightest bit of pressure on the fingers with his shoulder, “He didn’t really have anything to loose by doing it, did he?”

“No, that’s true,” Teru nodded, thumb joining the other two, scratched ever so slightly against the fabric of his ironed shirt. “And since he was in prison, it probably could have been a method of attempting to get out from behind the bars, even if only for the trial.”

“Perhaps,” Raito replied easily, ignoring the subtle interactions for the time being. “I can’t imagine what it would be like cooped up in a cage like that.”

“Don’t tell me you feel sorry for them, Raito.”

“I don’t,” Raito frowned and turned his head over to look at Teru, and nearly bumped his nose on the older boy’s glasses, “I just mean that being caged must be horrible. Not that they don’t deserve it. If you go by where I stand, then this man -a murderer -would be dead.”

“That’s true,” Teru had a forced tone of disappointment to his voice.

Raito gave a sigh, “Please, Teru, don’t start complaining about my support of Kira again. I think I’d heard every protest on the matter.”

“But look,” Teru say, curling an arm around Raito’s neck to reach the keyboard. He typed in something and then pressed enter, and pulled up an article. “Read this.”

USA: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- When he saw two men pry into his neighbor's house with a crowbar one afternoon earlier this month, David Bell did what many people would do: He called 911.

But when police had not shown up by the time the suspects were about to leave, the 63-year-old retiree did something most people probably would not: He stepped outside with his 12-gauge shotgun and killed them.

"I'm not going to let them get away with this," Bell told the 911 dispatcher, who responded: "Property's not worth killing someone over."

Seconds later, the sound of a gun being loaded could be heard on the 911 tape, followed by a warning -- "Move and you're dead" -- and then three bursts of gunfire. Manuel Garcia , 35, and Daniel Phober, 32, both of whom had small-time criminal histories, died of their wounds.

The six-minute recording of Bell’s anger, frustration and eagerness to take the law into his own hands has made him the focus of a national controversy. Critics condemn him as a vigilante bent on meting out murderous justice. Admirers praise him as a courageous hero whom any law abider would love to have next door.

"Why is he still a free man?" Jessica Henderson wrote in a letter to the Houston Chronicle.

"David Bell gets a Texas 'attaboy' from me," countered Jonathan Gregory in the next letter. "Justice was served, law or not."

As the debate rages on talk radio and cable-TV news shows, Horn remains free.

Raito raised an eyebrow at the article and shook his head, “You’re comparing Kira to a 61-year-old man from Texas? There are so many flaws in that analogy.”

“You’re twisting this, not getting the point.” Teru began to insist, but Raito went on.

“Kira wouldn’t kill a criminal that wasn’t hurting someone,” Raito scoffed, “And what this man did wasn’t entirely wrong, but those men were lesser criminals and should have gone to jail. Kira isn’t some sort of vigilante, Teru, he’s more than that.”

“…What makes you think that?” Teru inquired lowly, and Raito turned toward him again, shifting in his chair a bit so that he could look at Teru without being a hair’s distance apart.

“His method, obviously.”

“His method…of murder, you mean? The heart attacks?”

“Yes,” Raito nodded curtly, “He can kill people somehow without being present, he’s not shooting or stabbing people. This is something…different. Almost divine.”

“So Kira is allowed to be judge, jury and executioner just because he somehow has some…telepathic ability?”

“Well,” Raito pretended to stop and consider it, “Not exactly…if he was going around killing for revenge, or just people he didn’t like, then that would be one thing. But his method combined with the status of his victims proves he’s definitely not your average ‘vigilante’ and I refuse to place him in such an unflattering category.”

“I see…”

“Can we get back to studying now?” Raito asked, straightening his back a bit to give off the impression of being annoyed with Teru’s refusal to see things his way.

“Of course,” Teru stood up and took the few steps over to the table. “Now, he hasn’t revealed what the essay is going to be yet, but I think it’s safe to say it will be an opinion that we have to support with laws and ethics…”

Raito could have sworn he saw Teru smiling slightly in the reflection of the computer screen.

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L let Raito sneak out, guessing that the boy needed some time to himself (or, at least, away from him) or else L might end up with a broken nose, or something of the sort. Although it was incredibly hard to concentrate on the Kira case when Raito was currently on a study date with a man that might be Kira. Or, for that matter, any man at all.

None of the task force members noticed, of course, he didn’t allow them to. He went on like always, and none of them noticed he’d been staring at the same sheet of paper for the passed ten minutes. Matsuda was helping Aizawa with some research, Mogi was out at Sakura TV trying to get the evidence, and Zapack was reading through a file for the fifth time.

Mogi came in the hotel room with a box around noon, “Sakura TV released the Kira videos. I was able to get the evidence from them.”

“Good,” L answered, turning and putting the piece of paper down, and turning toward Mogi, who placed the box in front of him. L sucked on a lollipop, grape-flavored, as he went through the evidence, holding each plastic baggy up with his index and thumb.

Part of L’s brain was on the evidence, telling Mogi to analyze something suspicious, handing it over to him and going on through the box. The other part of L’s brain was on the kiss. Calculating it, dissecting it for every possibility. Raito liked him. He knew it. There was a 86 percent chance such a think was so, and that was a rather high percentage, as far as L was concerned. At least enough for a few sweet kisses. Raito’s mouth was used better for such things, instead of yelling and spitting insults.

How L longed to taste him again.

However, there was the whole predicament about Raito not realizing his interest in L in such a way, and L really wasn’t interested in helping the boy come to terms with it the slow way. Because, admittedly, Raito’s obstinacy outweighed L’s patience. And Raito apparently didn’t like what a kiss with L implied, because kissing was intimate, and it felt good therefore it was much too human for someone like Raito to partake in. L frowned around his thumb, and handed Mogi another baggy to test.

Raito probably even saw it as a weakness. More over, a weakness on L’s part.

And usually L agreed. Emotions were obstacles at times, hindrances, but only when they got in the way of doing something productive. L never let such a thing interfere with a case, an answer …he wasn’t typically professional, but he was proficient. He didn’t allow emotions to get in the way of important things, commitments or justice. But Raito didn’t let them get in the way of anything. Everything was more important than emotions to him.

And that just wasn’t acceptable to L.

There had always been an attraction there. Probably since, deplorably, he’d seen the boy unwrapping presents reluctantly. He had only seen it for interest then, amusement that such a boy was so intelligent –and then when he saw him in the snow, a young boy surrounded by white –L hated to think it, but it in truth was the only comparison was an angel. Even now the comparison made the atheist in him scowl, but it was true. Beauty like that, surrounded by snow, draped in white…Yes, L had known then, and when the flushed hand had took his, and again when he curled the adolescent body to his own and carried him inside.

But this was not solely physical.

He had not, when Raito was fourteen, wanted to hold him down to the mattress as he writhed and bucked under his the assault of his fingers. He had not wanted to watch his face as he subjected him to the heat of his mouth…No, none of that.

Yagami Raito was on a pedestal so high that no one could reach him.

But L would. L would reach him, L would touch him. He would climb up to that pedestal and sit there with Raito and watch the sunrise, and Raito would sit there with him, even if he got grass stains.

And yet…

“Are you done?”

…

Fine then. If L wanted to continue kissing Raito, willingly (if not enthusiastically) on the younger man’s part, then he’d have to take the emotion out of it completely. It would have to be pure action, that was the only way that Raito would consent.

Now the only question left was…how in the world would he pull something like that off?

“Mogi, Aizawa, Mogi, Zapack….Pack up your things, we are moving to the building. It is done,” L stated, promising reexamine the evidence once more when they arrived at the building.

“What about Rain?” Matsuda asked, blinking and looking over at L confusedly, “He doesn’t know we won’t be here, does he?”

“Don’t worry, Matsuda, I’ll arrange it. I won’t allow Rain to be left behind,” L told the man in return, only a fraction of his thoughts on speaking, the rest concocting a plan in his mind, forming the second that Mogi told him that some of the hair samples matched a certain supermodel…

Well.

L was the greatest detective in the world. Of course he would figure something out.

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Misa was so happy. She hadn’t known everything would work out so well when she moved to Tokyo, but here she was! Teru was her best friend and God, and not only that but he had the hottest best friend. Raito Yagami, her eyes told her, even before he’d beamed gorgeously and introduced himself. He had a polite Japanese charm about him, with the bowing and small smiles, down to his soft laughs that were just loud enough to show that he thought something was funny without being ostentatious.

Raito was not flashy, in fact he seemed quite modest, but simultaneously there was confidence oozing from his pores, which coated his skin in a thick layer of ‘look-at-me’. That wasn’t even mentioning his close to perfect features, from his thin, straight nose to his slanted piercing brown eyes, his sweet lips that had just a hint of a natural pout. Awesome hair too. Teru had nice hair as well, but he was too geeky looking for Misa’s liking.

Even if he was Kira. Raito was just so much more her type. Teru should really just stay her God. He didn’t really seem interested in her anyway. In fact, Teru didn’t seem to like her at all. He actually seemed to want Raito as his second Kira more than her!

Well, not like she couldn’t blame him. Raito was handsome, smart, wouldn’t make mistakes -but she was the one with the Death Note, and besides. Rem wouldn’t like Raito as much as her, wouldn’t die for him -she’d even said so. So no, Misa would stay the second Kira for as long as she had the Death Note, for as long as she was useful to Kira.

Skipping down the rode in tall heels, swinging a 200 dollar purse on her arm, Misa never saw a rather large man come up from behind him. Only when she was blindfolded as grabbed did she realize what was going on, a tension crept into her narrow shoulders as the man spoke those dreaded words.

“Misa Amane, you are under arrest as a suspect of being the second Kira…”

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Raito and Teru stopped at the same restaurant they had the day before to eat, and both of them ordered the same thing that they had the day before. Teru liked order, patterns, and Raito was known to get in a routine and stick with it for long periods of time. They had several things in common, really, Raito thought as he gazed across the table at the other, sipping his drink idly and finishing his food.

Teru’s eyes were on him most of the time, dark eyes that were just a shade duller than L’s, perhaps a dark gray, and a narrow intensity that sometimes made Raito feel uncomfortable, if a bit triumphant. Completing his meal, Raito dabbed at his mouth with the napkin and set it down, trying to ignore that Teru’s eyes darted to his lips each time he licked them, and his neck whenever he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.

Sometimes there was a glint in those dark eyes that Raito couldn’t place, something that was powerful, almost intimidating, but at the same time very familiar. There was a slant to them, occasionally, or a quirk of the lip at nothing at all, or a long moment of quiet. When there was nothing between then, not clever words or intriguing debates or skillful debates, when there was nothing but them, and Raito could clearly see that he was not the only one with a hidden agenda…

It was times like this…when the fascia of friendship that they had both built melted away in the silence, and the reality they seemed to reject at times crawled out from between the pathetic drops…

It was times like this when Raito truly thought there was a chance of Teru being Kira.

“Are you ready to leave?” Raito asked after a moment, gesturing to the waitress for the check, getting out his wallet to pay for his. Brown eyes darted up to the dark ones for a moment to keep the contact as he counted out the yen he would need to pay.

“Actually, Raito…I would like to talk to you... about what you told me the other day,” Teru informed him, leaning forward just slightly, a few strands of his hair falling into his pale face with the new angle. They were immediately brushed back into place by Teru’s fingers. Raito blinked once, cocking an elegant eyebrow at the man interestedly.

“And what would that be?”

“Your father, being the chief of the NPA,” Teru informed him, sitting up straight and lacing his fingers together neatly on top of the table, as though setting himself up for a long conversation. Raito was about to disappoint. He was not the type to reminisce about his dead parents, nor was he about to talk to Teru about him. He hoped the other man didn’t expect him to break down into tears at one point because the memories were just too much… “I hope you don’t find it meddlesome of me, but I looked him up to sate my own curiosity.”

Raito’s shoulders went a bit stiff, and his eyes looked back at Teru blankly, “And?”

Teru looked a bit taken aback by the cold reaction, there was the fidget of his eyebrows and a twitch of his lips, but he went on, “And I’m interested in it. How did you family die?”

“Car accident,” Raito replied curtly. He hadn’t truly talked about his parents since their death, with anyone, and for it to be someone he barely knew…someone who might be Kira…Well. That wasn’t exactly how he pictured this conversation going. He’d imagined he’d sit on a bed, and another would sit next to him, quietly, unmoving, as he talked. He expected it to be more mechanical than memorial, like playing a home movie, depicting with his words passed moments, more than actually saying how he felt about them…He’d always suspected that he would talk to …

L.

Of course.

“They were on the way back from a movie,” Raito took another sip of his coffee, looking into the brown liquid. It was pleasantly warm, not hot enough to burn his tongue, nor settle the cold feeling that seemed to have pooled in the pit of his stomach, “I was studying.”

“I see,” Teru nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and peering at Raito, but thankfully not with pity. “Who took care of you?”

Raito took a long swallow of his coffee, and then answered vaguely, “An orphanage.”

Teru blinked, a deep frown settling on his fair, thin lips as he looked at Raito, “I hear those aren’t very pleasant places.”

And there. Raito saw how he could manipulate this to his advantage. He could warp this attempt at a heartwarming conversation into making Teru trust him even more. He’d play, he’d make it seem like his child hood had been dark and sad, make Teru think he was the victim. And if he was Kira, he would feel even more responsibly for him. Perhaps attempt to ‘protect’ him from the evils of the world…Raito hid a smirk, averting his eyes and replying softly.

“They aren’t,” he agreed, making his voice low and withdrawn, as though he were remembering horrid moments in his past.

He felt a hand close over his own, and he blinked and looked up in genuine surprise. Teru was looking at him earnestly, and his hand was…strangely warm over his. Raito looked at him, and for a moment he really doubted Teru was Kira…while simultaneously being completely sure. He felt like moving his hand, but that would push Teru away. He wanted to encourage this behavior. He merely gave a sad smile.

“But then, Teru, that’s what Kira is for.”

There was a sharp widening of the eyes then, and Raito continued to smile softly as Teru peered at him. They paid, and started back, walking through the school, since it was shorter than going around, and they turned the corner that led to the bench they normally met at.

Raito wasn’t looking forward to going back to the hotel. An anxiety filled his stomach, coiling around his abdomen and squeezing tightly there, a sense that something…bad was about to happen.

He shook his head of it, and immediately looked up, his breath stilling in his chest as he saw a familiar mop of black hair sitting on the bench there. He was wearing a mask, which looked like a Halloween mask, only strangely cartoonishly similar to the man’s actual features. The hair, the posture, it was unmistakable…

Then, L waved at them, beckoning them over. Acting surprised, Raito looked over at Teru and shrugged a bit, leading the other man to the detective wearily. Teru seemed tense by his side as well, although Raito couldn’t be sure what was provoking it.

“Um, hello…” Raito said, in his normal polite way, and those black eyes from beneath the mask met his own, and there was a flicker there that made Raito uneasy. Then, L’s mouth opened, and he began to speak, and Raito felt like hitting him.

“I am L,” L pointed out, making Raito’s stomach clench, “Misa Amane has just been arrested under suspicion of being the second Kira…”

L popped his finger out of his mouth with an almost obscene wet noise.

“…and I suspect one or both of you, Teru Mikami and Yagami Raito, of being Kira.”

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My computer has returned, and therefore, so have I. O O WOO! One Thousand Reviews! I need to do something special for that…

This chapter jumps around a bit, but I wanted to give you people’s point of views. And…If I say anymore, I’m going to want to give it away, thus ruining my pretty cliffhanger. O o

I love all of you for staying with me this long! Monster reviews for the last chapter! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I swear I’ll update soon!

Also, for those of you that are interested, I’m co-writing a story called The Prisoner (BBxRaito) with Mikanis, and it should be out pretty soon. :D

Okay, I’m done now. (bows out)…(peeks back) Review please? (meeps and ducks flying objects)

Nilah