The 'L' in Light (A Death Note Fanfiction)

Chapter 3: Oblivious

~ Light's POV ~

"Three – and that's final," declared Light.

"Do I look like some sort of messenger to you? And what are you planning to do in there anyway?" questioned Ryuk, his large red eyes staring down at him in disbelief. "I'm shy, you know. I'm going to need more payment to keep Rem occupied, if necessary".

"Lower your voice or she'll hear us," he whispered, shifting his eyes to flash a peek at Misa and ignoring his questions. "Four."

"Five. And they have to be big, juicy ones."

"Fine."

Light glanced to his left and saw Misa staring at them, waiting patiently at her doorway. She was wearing a revealing black leather dress, with pieces of lace partially obscuring her forearms and thighs. A studded black choker adorned her neck and an additional long silver necklace was positioned neatly at the top of her cleavage. Her bright blonde hair was partially tied up into two side pigtails, the rest of it cascading well past her shoulders. Her efforts are futile, he thought to himself.

A voice within him uttered, "At least she has been useful."

"Well, she's waiting for you," said Ryuk, pulling Light from his thoughts. "Don't worry, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone... and make sure that you remain that way." Sniggering, he goes to find Rem as planned to ensure that she leaves them alone.

"He'd better. I value this body...and of course, my life," said the same voice.

Shut up, Kira.

Slightly nervous, he smiled cooly as he shuffled towards Misa. After wiping his feet on the welcome carpet, he took her by the hand and made casual conversation with her during their progress to the highest floor of her house.

"So, what did you tell Ryuk?" asked Misa.

"Just to leave us alone together," he answered, with only a partial truth. "I'd just prefer to be alone, without shinigami on our tails."

"Liar," said Kira.

"Oh. That's great, Light. You're always so smart," she exclaimed.

They opened the great wooden door of the room and passed through the doorway, Light naturally acting the gentleman and gesturing for Misa to enter before him. They then sat next to each other on the plush, plum sofa, its colour pairing rather well with the wall's pewter grey hue. The room was exquisitely designed with large modern windows, their size allowing a substantial amount of light through, almost entirely replacing the need for artificial light during daytime. It also had several mahogany bookshelves and small plants in colourful pots suspended from black macramé hangers.

"Light," Misa began, "I still don't know why my Death Note didn't work with L."

Light chewed his lip. He feared she would ask that but, typical of Light, he had an explanation up his sleeve.

"Well, there are plenty of reasons why Death Notes don't always work. Some of these are unknown; even to the shinigami. Back when I had a Death Note, there were plenty of criminals that didn't die, or at least, not at my will," he lied. "But enough about L," he said, attempting to change the conversation. "Are you hiding it in a secure place?"

"Yes, I am," she said smiling, visibly satisfied with his answer. Misa stood up and dashed to a large, elegant mirror. She reached out with her left arm and felt around behind it, her sudden lurch suggesting that she must have pressed a button of some kind. Then, she slid the front-facing glass sideways, revealing her Death Note, and looked over her shoulder for Light's approval.

"You truly know how to choose your pawns," Kira commented.

Ignoring the voice, he glanced at the notebook and exclaimed, "I'm impressed. Could I please keep a page of it? I've used up every scrap I had."

Her flush and proud expression showed that she was glad to be of use to him. "Oh, anything for you, Light," she squealed as she tore a page and gave it to him, before leaning in for a kiss.

That's good to hear, he thought to himself as he forced himself to kiss her back. After a few seconds of overly intense smooching and to Misa's dismay, he pulled back. "I need to go to the bathroom for a second. When I come back, we'll continue," he added, giving her a suggestive wink before rising from the sofa, causing her big, round eyes to glint.

"Of course you will," the voice quipped sarcastically.

He found the small bathroom attached directly to the room and entered with a heavy push at the door which was identical to the main one. The bathroom had a similar style to the other room, with blood-red granite tiles and magnificent designs adorning the grey walls. It was also equipped with a midnight black sink and bathtub, a strange combination to Light's limited fashion expertise, but he had to admit that the colours had surprisingly matched rather well.

This was too easy, he thought. When he was done, he left the bathroom to find Misa quickly touching up her makeup in front of an ornate mirror hanging from the bathroom's opposite wall. She halted upon detecting his reflection and hastily put everything back into her bag. The teen glanced at the ever-present watch around his wrist.

"So, Light I–" she began. Suddenly, her face contorted to a pained wince. Misa bent over slightly, squeezing a hand into her abdomen. With her other hand, she held onto the sofa to steady herself.

Anxiously, Light questioned, "Misa, what's wrong?"

"Stomach...hurts," she managed with difficulty. "I want to be left alone."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," she said, waving him off.

With one arm over his shoulder, Light gently helped her to her bed. He eased her underneath the thick covers, kissed her on the forehead (at her insistence) and promised her to swing by for a visit tomorrow morning. She thanked him and allowed herself to drift into a profound sleep.

The taxi ride back to headquarters was mainly silent, something which Light favoured. Deep in his thoughts, he had almost forgotten about the taxi driver until he remarked, "That was where Misa Amane lives, right? Do you know her?"

Light frowned, unsure how to respond. "Yes, I do. We're friends."

"Really? My youngest daughter hasn't missed a single issue. She's longing to see her at the Okoranai Show next week."

Well, she won't be seeing much of Misa any longer.