Truth and Justice

Warnings for this chapter: Angst, WIP.
SPOILERS: All manga, all anime, L's true name, Another Note, Law and Right.

Important terms
Fundoshi -- Japanese loincloth.

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Truth and Justice

Chapter 15: Family

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Mornings were a difficult time for Light. Or to put it more accurately, waking up was difficult and didn't always happen in the morning.

There would be the warmth and comfort, as there had been when he was dead, but it was marred with the gentle throb of pain. The pain would grow and he would realize that he was in a bed, under blankets, and his heart would thunder with fear.

He'd jerk his limbs, hiss in pain as he strained stitches, and finally remembered what had happened, where he was, that he was safe. He managed to break wounds open more than once that way and quickly got used to having fresh stitches put in every morning.

Not even L's arm around him could push away the fear that waking up brought with it. His warmth couldn't comfort away the pain and terror that had come from waking in a bed. After a week of waking like that, they decided that perhaps finding a new sleeping place would be best. So, Light took to sleeping in a leather armchair, and for a while, that helped.

Long enough for the cuts to heal, anyway. He felt a little like a zebra when he looked at himself in the mirror after showering. Red stripes crossed the length of his arms and legs, created dashed lines across his chest, his stomach, his back. He didn't know why, but B hadn't decided to cut his face. His nose had been broken, but that was a minor thing and the slight crookedness didn't seem too out of place.

It was the stripes, the markings that looked so strange on his body. He wondered what he would look like in a fundoshi, but pushed that out of his mind, too. It wouldn't help him recover to keep thinking about the past, the pain.

It would help, however, if he were to talk about it. He sighed, dressing and walking out to the living room, settling into a chair next to L. He was watching the news reports, the speculation about what had happened to Light Yagami, if he was really Kira.

He winced slightly when he saw that reporters had hounded his mother and sister already. "L."

Slowly, L turned his attention away from both the televisions and his banana split. "Yes, Light?"

"I think... it's about time I talked about it."

L reached out, picking up the remote and shutting off the television, setting aside his melting treat, and turned his full attention to Light.

He blushed a little, smiled at the way L had dropped everything for him. He reached out, took L's hand, kissed it a few times before he spoke. "He knew, somehow, that I was the one in the trench coat. He was waiting. Came right up, put a gun to my back and told me to walk. He led me to his car, a small car, and put me in the back, handcuffed me to the door."

Light took a slow, deep breath. "I already knew it was him, even though I couldn't see his face. I knew he was the one that had raped me, too. I could smell it, feel it. Just... the way he moved," he shivered then, closed his eyes, composed himself.

He was safe here. He could bare everything, if only to this one person. "He took me up to his apartment, acted like I was his guest. Introduced me to a neighbor, said I had a rare medical condition, allergy to Light," he laughed bitterly. "Allergy to raito, that was just how he said it.

"He took me up to that apartment, made me take off the coat, the hat. Handcuffed me and made the recording. Made me say it fifteen times, over and over. Then he stripped me, had me put on a fundoshi and made the last part of the video," Light ran a hand through his hair restlessly.

"The rest... the rest is on tape. The cuts, the bruises, the beatings. Everything, right up until I escaped," he closed his eyes, sought out that strange calm that had filled him in Mu. He found it, embraced it, let it comfort him.

When he opened his eyes, he was relaxed again, sighing quietly and smiling. "Thank you. Your ice cream is melting."

There was a moment of silence between them as L tried to decide if Light was really okay. Slowly, he pulled away and returned to his ice cream, taking a bite before he spoke. "Sooner or later, you will have to face the media."

"First, I have to face my mother, my sister. And Sayu's husband, Yamamoto," Light sighed. "That will be harder than the media. Especially mother."

"If you wish to get it over with, I can make an appointment with them for Friday," L suggested. "I will accompany you, of course."

"Might as well," he sighed, picking up the remote and turning the TV back on, listening to the speculation about himself. He really didn't like that he was still called Kira, but he couldn't blame them for it. It was a natural association.

Friday came and Light was nervous. He dressed in a suit that was a dark brown color, his shoes were polished and his hair combed perfectly into place. Still, his palms were sweaty, his skin pale, making the scars at the corners of his mouth stand out.

He had been surprised those cuts had healed so quickly. He sighed at his reflection, again, and glanced at Ryuzaki. He was so used to seeing the familiar blue jeans and white shirt that he almost didn't recognize his own husband.

Who would have thought that L actually owned a suit, let alone a tailored suit in black. He looked better in it than Light would have imagined, and the fact that he took the time to make himself appear more dignified spoke volumes about his feelings.

God knew L rarely ever spoke of those things outside the requisite 'I love you' that Light almost always initiated. He smiled, leaned in for a soft kiss and didn't bother explaining himself when L looked confused. Instead, they both went down to the garage level, slipping into a black sedan with tinted windows.

The drive to the Yagami residence wasn't too long, and his mother had been able to afford a very nice apartment with the life insurance that L had padded heavily for Soichiro. That, too, was a reminder of how much he cared, even though he rarely had the words to express it.

They had timed the visit carefully to fit between the rush of workers coming home for lunch, and the rush of them returning from work. They went to the fourth floor in an elevator, buzzed the Yagami apartment. Sayu's husband had been given the afternoon off, at L's request and expense.

Sweat rose on Light's palms again, he managed to wipe it off just before his mother opened the door. He looked at her in silence for a long moment, before a soft smile rose on his lips. "Mother," he bowed deeply.

"Yagami-san," L bowed as well, and Wammy did the same. He was, after all, the closest thing L had to a father.

"Please, come in. It's been so long, Light-kun," Sachiko said warmly, stepping aside so that they could all come in.

They stepped in, pulled off their shoes, and followed her to the living area. Light bowed to Sayu, to her husband, Yamamoto. He introduced himself, introduced L as Ryuzaki, and Wammy as himself.

They took seats, waited for Sachiko and Sayu to serve tea, and an awkward silence settled.

With a soft sigh, Light broke the silence. "Mother, Sayu, Yamamoto-san. It is true, that I was Kira," He stiffened slightly when he heard his mother's teacup rattle as she set it on the coffee table.

"Surely you were only lying because you were at gunpoint, Light-kun," Sachiko insisted.

"No," he let his gaze move to her, settle. "I was Kira for nearly a year. My death was faked when I turned myself in and confessed."

"That can't be. That just can't be," the tears were rising in Sachiko's eyes.

Sayu reached out, took her mother's hand. "Mother, he was Kira. He's not anymore, he really isn't, but he used to be."

"Your father... rest his soul, your father said you'd died fighting him," Sachiko's voice raised slightly.

"Yes, and in a way, I did. Kira and I... changed that day. It is also true that I was raped, that it caused me to confess to being Kira," Light didn't flinch when his mother reached out, slapped him.

"Don't you tell me such lies! Don't you dare!" Sachiko was nearly vibrating with grief, fear, anger. Mostly fear.

"It is not a lie, mother," and he had to close his eyes when Sachiko burst into full tears. "I'm sorry. Father wanted to keep it from you, from Sayu. So you wouldn't have to know, wouldn't have to live with it like we did. Like I do."

"Your father, was his death a lie, too?" Sachiko demanded, even as she accepted a handkerchief from Sayu, wiped at her eyes.

"No," Light sighed weakly. "It was a traffic accident. We verified that it was not Kira's doing. It was just his time."

"We have a small shrine," L said slowly, "With his tablet. Light prays there every day he is able."

"How would you know?" Sachiko snapped.

Sayu gasped softly. "Mother!"

"It's all right, Sayu," Light glanced at her, turned his gaze to his mother. "Ryuzaki is... my lover. We are committed to each other, just as you and father. Simply without the legal paperwork."

"Which is impossible, as we are both legally dead," L pointed out and couldn't quite resist the urge to pull his legs up. He sighed when Wammy pushed them down again but complied.

"Are you happy?" Sachiko asked bitterly. "After all you've done, are you happy?"

"With Ryuzaki at my side, yes, I am happy. Even now, I live with the knowledge, the guilt of having taken so many lives. I am a murderer, and I'll take that with me to the grave, but in the meanwhile, when I do what little I can to make amends, I am happy," Light almost felt as if he were being a bit too defiant.

There were a few sniffles as Sachiko wiped the last of her tears away. "Very well then. I approve of him. I suppose."

Light smiled, felt the tension in his shoulders fade a bit. "I'm sorry, mother, for everything I've put you through."

"Oh, hush. Get yourself acquainted with Yamamoto. I have to finish up making lunch," Sachiko insisted, getting up and pressing a soft kiss to Light's cheek, then L's, before she hurried off to busy herself in the kitchen.

Sayu sighed softly, looked at Yamamoto. "Well?"

The man blushed, laughing weakly. "I never thought I'd get to meet the famous Light-kun! Sayu talks about you quite a bit, she really looked up to you. Still does."

Light leaned back, folded his arms over his chest. "You're a cop."

The weak, bubbly laugh that Yamamoto let out next was full of nerves. "Yes sir, Yagami-san, sir."

"Under Matsuda-san, correct?" L pressed his thumb to his lips, glanced at Light. "That could be troublesome."

"Indeed," Light had to clamp down on the smirk. "Matsuda-san has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth."

"And getting into unpleasant situations," L nodded sagely.

"As I recall," Wammy said lightly, "Matsuda-san broke the Yotsuba Kira case, didn't he? Quite brilliantly, too."

"Ah, that's right. His recklessness nearly got him killed, but it provided vital information," L recalled.

"But Matsuda-san as a mentor? I'm not sure it's such a good idea," but Light was smirking then, and Sayu was giggling.

Yamamoto just looked confused, his gaze traveling between the four of them. "S-so is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"Since Matsuda-san told us you're trustworthy and hate to drink, I think I can approve," Light let a warm smile rise on his lips then. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He leaned forward, took Yamamoto's hand, shook it firmly. "Treat my sister well."

"He already does," Sayu laughed warmly, wrapping herself on her husband's arm. "Really, he's doing very well. Aizawa-san and Mogi-san both approved before the wedding, in Father's stead. Aizawa-san walked me down the aisle, even."

"Yeah, we got the photos," Light chuckled. "It was a beautiful wedding. I wish I could have been there."

"Our wedding was much more simple, wasn't it, Light?" L was chewing on his thumb again.

"But it was beautiful," Sayu insisted with a soft smile, looked to her husband. "I was able to attend because I've known for, oh, six years or so, that Light was still alive. It was an accident, really. I ran into him at a coffee shop downtown."

"That's a little strange, isn't it?" Yamamoto laughed softly.

"It was the first time I'd gone outside, not counting the roof, since my supposed death," Light shrugged slightly. "It was bad timing, but was for the best."

"Aizawa-san gave me a full debriefing on the situation when I told him why I was going to need today off," Yamamoto agreed. "I'll admit, I was a bit nervous, especially to meet you, Ryuzaki-san."

Relieved, L drew his feet up onto the sofa again, smiled as Wammy sighed. "I'm really not that intimidating, Yamamoto-san," he assured.

Light snorted softly. "Unnerving is more like it," but Light was smiling warmly, relaxed and sipping his tea as they fell into conversation. When they gathered for lunch in the dining room, Sachiko joined into the easy, warm conversation.

It was good to be home, good to be allowed to come home. To bring his husband home to his mother. Wammy and Sachiko seemed to have plenty of horrible childhood stories to swap, but L hardly seemed to notice, even though Light was sure he'd faint from blushing.

It didn't help when Sayu would laugh and claim to remember such events.

In the end, it was a happy visit and when they had to leave, it was only with many well wishes and much self control that they were able to get out the door again.

"I like your family, Light," L said as Wammy drove them back to the base.

Coming from L, that was one hell of a complement. Light smiled warmly, kissed him. "I knew you would."

"Liar."

"You love me anyway."

"Mm... what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Not in the car!" Wammy snapped. "I had to watch that enough over surveillance cameras."

L and Light couldn't help bursting into laughter. They managed to behave themselves until they got back to the headquarters.

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A/N: And so, L meets the family! =3 And we discovered who Sayu married, no less! (He's the cop that works with Aizawa, Mogi, Matsuda and Ide in their last scene in volume 12. Since he's obviously newer to the force but moving up quickly and Sayu is only a few years younger than Light, that the age gap would be about right for him to be eligible.)