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

Chapter 10: Rule

~ L's POV ~

Did Light do it to confuse me because he is indeed Kira?

And why did Rem leave? Did it have to do with Misa?

L's mind was a cobweb of unanswerable questions as he tried to work in the main hall. Believing that it would be best to confront him, he turned around to face Light.

"Light...why?"

"Ryuzaki...what are you talking about?" asked Light, pretending to fail to know what L was referring to.

"Do you seriously not remember? Let me remind you then. A particular 3-word sentence with the middle word being 'love', to someone that it shouldn't have been directed at. Have I rung any bells?" said L with disbelief. Stop acting the dumbass, Light. I want, no, I need to know if you meant it before I do this.

"I...I was emotional. My girlfriend had just died! I wasn't thinking straight," stammered Light.

(A/N: nope nothing 'straight' here)

Oh, so now you're going to play the victim card, aren't you?

"But you didn't say it to Matsuda, did you?" said L, hoping that Light was lying. Hopeful for something else.

Light froze at the words, a blush reddening his cheeks. His gaze turned away from L and was clearly lost for words.

Okay, maybe I should calm down a bit.

"I'm sorry for pressuring you," said L finally, trying to make up for his prodding. "The truth is, I've been thinking a lot about it," he sighed.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. It was wrong of me," said Light, shaking his head softly.

~ Light's POV ~

"This is wrong. We can't solve a serial killer case by murdering people," Aizawa insisted. The rest nodded in agreement.

"Ensuring that the rule is true is imperative to the case," sighed L. When his statement didn't help in persuading the detectives he added, "If I'm wrong, and the 13-day rule proves to be true, I shall take full responsibility as a murderer. You have my word," which earned him a few gasps.

"Well... someone's confident. Not that it matters, his clock is ticking rapidly," said Kira.

"Shut up!"

"To summarise, for those who might not have been paying me their undivided attention," the detective paused, flashing a look at Matsuda.

"I was!" he claimed.

Paying no attention to the remark, L continued, "To test the 13-day rule, the death roll prisoner shall write his own name on a scrap of the Death Note that I had ripped out before Rem could take it."

"Smart," commented Kira.

"The prisoner, who has voluntarily chosen to help us, will add the condition of dying fourteen days after the day he writes his name. Therefore, if he dies on the thirteenth day, then the rule is true and Light will be freed from all suspicion. In that case, I will go to court for murder, as promised."

"If, on the other hand, the prisoner dies on the 14th day, then Light is... well..." his voice trailed off.

"The main Kira suspect?" suggested Matsuda.

"Essentially, yes," agreed L, looking up at all of the detective's faces. "Is everything clear?"

"Yes." The word uttered by the five other men echoed restlessly around the hall.

Clearly tense, Soichiro asked, "When will this be done?".

"Tomorrow the prisoner shall write his name." He glanced nonchalantly at Light, and added, "For obvious reasons, I won't be displaying the criminal's name."

Damn it, thought Light. How will I find it?

L must have noticed the teen's slight twitch and said, "Worried about how you'll get the name now, Light? Do not fret; I have a solution. To ensure that you don't meddle with anything..." L's voice trailed off as he bent down to pick something up from underneath him.

Light gasped.

No, not again... Well, I sort of missed it actually. He mentally slapped himself.

L placed a pair of familiar silver handcuffs on the table with a smug look on his face. "We'll be chained after seeing the criminal write his name down, Light. Enjoy your freedom," he informed.

"L, is this truly necessary? Why do you still suspect him?" questioned Soichiro, crossing his arms bitterly. "It seems to me that you won't be satisfied until you find a shred of evidence that he is Kira!"

"I simply want to eliminate all of my suspicions. If this goes as you want it to, then your son is undeniably innocent." L sighed, "If not well..."