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Redeemer	By : CocoaCoveredGods Category: Death Note > Yaoi-Male/Male Views: 21364 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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~ Several months later ~

The image of the blonde and the redhead was fuzzy on two of the monitors, though L was truly only interested in the third monitor at that moment, which gave him a clear and close-up view of a freshly baked and rather delicious looking strawberry-topped cheesecake. The detective leaned in and on instinct his finger crept to his mouth, eyes widening at the confection and a few clicks of the keyboard later his visitors were permitted entrance to the complex building.

"Easy enough..." Mello chuckled quietly, letting the door fall shut behind them. Though, after a couple of steps, the door was forced back open and Matt�s half-smoked-still burning cigarette was begrudgingly flicked past the monitoring cameras, accompanied by a string of muttered curses. Fuckin hell.

They moved up a set of stairs and through a second set of locked doors which were soon buzzed open, L being as eager as he was to set hands on the mouth-watering peace offering that was being brought his way. Once clear through security, Matt and Mello found themselves within a vast receiving area - too neat and devoid of any creature comforts to be a proper living room however. Little was known about L�s living arrangements, but neither of them were about to ask. Well... at least, not just yet.

It was only a moment after they�d arrived that L unceremoniously shuffled out into the receiving room, finger still in his mouth, hungry eyes finding the cake before the cake-bearers�but that didn�t mean he wasn�t fully aware of them, the way Mello half sneered in his usual manner beneath a tussled line of blond bangs, or how Matt was desperately fighting the urge to reach for the PSP tucked in the back of his pants�

�It looks lovely,� L muttered in his patented monotone way, shag of black hair half in his face, pale white skin seeming even paler in this lighting. �Though I confess, I thought you would find us quicker.� It was that �us� reference that was the troublesome bit.

�Had a few loose ends to tie,� Mello replied casually as if such meetings were common between them. Not likely, but he had been one of the few lucky ones to become this familiar with L. �Besides, �figured we'd give you a bit more time to get re-acquainted.� And that he said with a carefree smirk, too carefree for Matt�s taste, wandering further in, setting the cake down on the coffee table. �Picked it up this morning from the little bakery at the corner,� the blonde continued. �The same old lady still works there, amazingly enough. And more amazing still, she asked after you as if not a day had gone by.�

�Isn�t that sweet,� L muttered, relatively unimpressed, but that was his way too.

Matt remained silent, hands stuffed deeply into his pockets all the while studying the surroundings attentively. The urge to wander away would probably win out soon enough, and he�d find himself a nice couch to crash on with the system in his hands, but for now he could at least pay some attention.

L immediately climbed into his patented crouch, legs up, toes curled, hunched with a long arm extended to the cake, two elegant white fingers plucking the most offending strawberry off the top, gooey jam and all.

�Thank you for this,� he murmured, �Please sit down,� it had truly been over six years since either Wammy alum had laid eyes on the great patriarch of their lifestyle, but L seemed barely changed, wasting no time in stuffing the ripened berry into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out reminiscent of a chipmunk as he fixed Mello in a particularly wide-eyed stare, maybe more wide-eyed than usual, almost as though he was forcing it to hide something else threatening his features. �Would you like some as well?� he asked, though everyone there knew he didn�t really mean it. L didn�t share his cake.

�It's all yours,� Mello answered naturally.

Matt sunk into one of the opposing chairs and only then remembered to pluck the yellow-tinted goggles from his face, letting them fall against his chest. Mello on the other hand, eyed L curiously, as if perhaps noting something behind that all too-wide-eyed look being carefully kept a secret, though he did not outright question it, he was ballsy, but there was always a line when it came to L. After all, the detective had more than proved himself with this case�not that he needed to, but keeping everyone convinced he was dead for the better part of the investigation while he ran it from behind the scenes�well, that transcended brilliance, didn�t it?

Mello�s impatience however, won out in the end the more he tried to decode just what it was that lay under L�s owlish expression. It would certainly come up if it was indeed something worth mentioning, but he simply could not resist. �Everything under control over here, then?� he asked, still sounding more casual than Matt could really imagine being around L. But that was Mello.

L, for lack of a better phrase, was stuffing his face. �Yes, everything is quite under control for the moment,� he replied, as if all was right with the world. �Is there some point to your visit?�

Mello was gradually sinking further and further into his characteristic slouch. �Would be it stupid of me to say that I felt the need to check on you?�

L blinked at him. �I suppose not, it's understandable, given the circumstances,� and he wasted no time cramming in another mouthful of cake, but paused suddenly, his head tilting as if he were listening for something. The sound momentarily escaped his guests, until Mello suddenly caught on to the small beeping coming from behind the doors at the back of the room.

A look that could only be described as frustrated crossed L's face in that instant, and he put down his cake to get up from the couch. �Will you excuse me please?� He muttered, casually enough so it wouldn't be cause for alarm to anyone other than two people who were already more than familiar with his ways. Without waiting for an answer, however, he shuffled to the next room and disappeared but, not without leaving the doors ajar just enough to provoke Mello and Matt's curiosity. It could almost be misconstrued as an invitation�conveniently enough, maybe it was, since getting answers out of L at this point would be the equivalent of pulling out those teeth of steel he had.

�The door's open,� Matt muttered.

�I see that,� Mello grit, snapping into a bar of chocolate. It was only a heartbeat later that he was off the couch and boldly heading for it. The invitation was clear as day to him, even if it was just a tad bit bizarre this early in the game.

Matt on the other hand was not having it. �You don't mean to actually go in there.�

�Watch me,� and Mello bit off another squared edge of his half-devoured bar, chewing thoughtfully all the while navigating the array of neatly arranged austere furniture toward the corridor and through the open door.

Matt gaped before he decided that he didn�t exactly want to be left behind. He didn�t exactly want to go either, but he followed all the same, his gait a tad less driven�still recovering from the onslaught of firepower he'd faced not several months prior.

�You're gonna get us in deep shite one of these days, Mell,� he grumbled, as if Mello was even listening.

L was already crouched in a swivel chair before a huge wall of monitors�many surveillance of the building in which they were standing, others running news reports of various countries�crime was on the rise again, and seemed particularly brutal lately given Kira�s inexplicable absence. Other computer screens were a colorful splash of websites and police reports and crime scene photos, as though L had been sorting through a vast portfolio of potential new cases without having settled on any yet�curiously there were five monitors directly center that were all black, and then on the smallest screen, which L was currently fixated on�a long string of code. L of course noticed Mello before he was even fully in the room. Not necessarily noticed actually, more like expected him.

�He�s resourceful,� the detective droned, �but that�s already been well established.� He met the code with some of his own�his fingers flying fast against the keyboard.

�Resourceful,� Mello mused, repeating the word as if not utterly convinced that that was all Light had become. Another topic for another time. �Has he been as helpful as you hoped, then?� the blonde risked. But did he ever actually believe L�s excuse for holing Kira up here? In his own private prison, quite locked away from the world, but disposable to the detective all the same?

�Actually,� L replied nonchalantly or deceptively so, �he's currently hacking into my surveillance system to uncover just who it is that has paid us a visit. Ever since I mentioned Near having the notebooks, he's been a bit more paranoid than usual.�

Mello actually laughed, mildly surprised at the response even though, perhaps, it shouldn't have been so shocking. Light had always been paranoid, one way or another, this was just another nudge to panic him, given the circumstances. �I figured you would've told him?� So there were still some things Light was not entrusted with, curious that, but also revealing, something worth keeping in mind.

Matt inched a little closer to glimpse the screen, though still remained planted resolutely behind Mello, obviously not quite at ease as his partner before the one that they had all worked to aspire to.

L was typing with a bit more focus, as it became apparent the code he was hammering out with such immediacy was some secret language between he and Light�probably developed during their previous time together, when things weren�t so out in the open�so to speak.

�I confess, he has me at a loss more often than not in recent history,� the detective muttered. �As you can imagine, he hasn�t taken to his current situation very well, and he�s still recovering from injury besides� there�s more, but it�s not terribly important�he might be bipolar�but we�re working on that. Otherwise, he will be very useful on the new case as soon as he settles in a bit.� L clacked a few more keys before sitting back to chew his thumb, reading over the long string of coded �nonsense� that appeared on the screen. The words of Kira. It was more than a little unsettling, to Matt moreso than Mello, that Kira was in direct contact at that moment�probably more unnerving to think that he was actually sending the messages from somewhere in the building�under the same roof. Worse, however, was when L sat back, chewed his thumb and muttered �He doesn�t believe me that it�s you. Perhaps you should speak with him.�

�Oh?� Mello chuckled. �Who does he think it is? Certainly he's not expecting Near to knock on your door anytime soon,� but even as he said it, the thought was unsettling. Plainly put, all four of them were essentially fucked should such a thing ever happen. It was a risky situation and not one he liked entertaining for long moments at a time.

Matt hissed a curse beside him and flicked open the hard casing of his PSP, the volume consciously muted. The other two had their cavity-inducing distractions and since he very much doubted he would be allowed to reach for a much-desired cigarette just then, the mindless distraction of a game would be an apt substitute. �Just talk to him and get it over with,� he muttered.

L chewed on his finger a bit more rabidly as though doing the calculations of Light�s erratic behavioral patterns in his head, and he nodded. �Yes, just talk to him. There will be no repeats of what happened last time.�

Last time, oh there was a memory�last time when Near had Kira detained for questioning several months before the Yellowbox. And Yagami was rather a cooperative suspect back then, that was until the SPK decided to use some of their more persuasive measures. To Kira�s credit he didn�t so much break as was broken�several fingers if Mello recalled. L sent Mello in to put a stop to it as it was interfering with the sting the detective had only been trying to set up for the better part of six years. That and well� Mello got that sense that if anyone was going to break Kira, it would be L and L alone.

The unfortunate part was just how wrong things had gone once Mello did involve himself. Fuckign Kira. He could push buttons like no other, even while crumpled on the floor and gasping in pain� and pain had always been a turn-on for the blonde. Pain and anger. Kira provoked both to some of the higher extremes�and while Mello might have gotten a bit carried away trying to enact some of his own methods of interrogation� he really just ended up with a rather nasty love bite in a very sensitive area, and well, Kira� almost got shot.

Yeah, no repeats of that thank you.

L didn�t phrase the order with any trace of malice or un-pleasantry, however, even though Mello was pretty sure the detective was less than pleased with how the situation turned into a total cluster. He maintained his normal bored demeanor, just the normal flat L way of speech, and yet at the same time� yes, yes there was a hint of possessiveness in the inflection�Kira was his�or perhaps Mello was reading too much into a very nondescript implication. Maybe.

L tapped off a few more keys, and his brow twisted. �He reverse-hacked the system and now the monitors are off from his end,� he mumbled. �We�ll have to do this in person, since I can�t bring up the two-way surveillance I�d set up just in case a situation like this ever presented itself.�

He said it so damn casual, but even Matt�s game playing motions stopped at the suggestion�he, of course, had never met the devil face-to-face. What was worse was L�s method of handling this. Light seemed nervous, granted, from the racing strings of codes appearing on the screen�

�� He�s worried it�s Interpol�� L clarified.

But for L to so nonchalantly suggested they just waltz in and say hello to Kira when he was �supposed� to be serving some sort of solitary life-sentence, well, it just felt too off and more than too familiar, but L was already shuffling off to a new hallway. He didn�t turn to face them as he spouted his reasoning: �It will be better to allay his paranoia at this point in time, Mello, I don�t have it in me to deal with the fallout of his manic anxiety attacks at present�I�m run quite ragged after the last several months� no, 6 years�.if you�d please follow me, we can get this over with quickly.�

Mello chewed idly on his bottom lip; the chocolate for the moment forgotten between gloved fingers. He didn�t appear to like the idea anymore than Matt, regardless of his few meetings with Kira over the last several years. But since it didn't seem that L was giving him - them - any choice, he chewed bitterly and followed obediently.

Matt, once again trailing behind, cursed under his breath, pressing the PSP case shut in his hand. This wasn't what he had expected to accomplish during this particular visit�another reason why he seldom followed Mello on his various outings. It was just much safer behind the screens, as the incident with Takada so inevitably proved. But today, well, meeting Kira face to face was certainly not on his top ten things to do list.

L took them to an elevator, and it was little surprise that another new set of codes was required to access the panel, which, when completed shot them straight to the top of the building without stopping for any other floors. L stood, hunched as usual, and managed to at least ask after Matt�s health in light of what he had endured during Takada�s kidnapping. Unfortunately, though, they arrived at their destination all too quickly for Matt to give a terribly cohesive reply, and the elevator doors peeled back to reveal a lavish corridor and a set of huge, reinforced doors at the end.

Even the sight of the doors was foreboding, considering the murderous thing that was incarcerated behind them� the blood of hundreds of thousands� Mello was grim, Matt was jittery, and L took that path as though he�d already walked it a million times before. There was a retinal scan, voice recognition and print identification involved, before L was prompted to enter a variety of new codes and passwords, until at last the deadbolts gave way in a series of thunderous gears, and the doors pulled back.

After all that, Matt and Mello half expected a scene from Silence of the Lambs to unfold�instead they were greeted with the sight of a rather lavish looking penthouse living area�a dipped hard wood floor, and wrap around couch, sprawled with pillows on a furry shag rug, in front of what could only be Matt�s Mecca�a huge flat screen TV, entertainment system, and plethora of gaming consoles, DVDs, CDs, and Games lining shelves at every end�and all of it looked pretty much untouched, unused and un operated. Matt�s jaw dropped, and for a moment, all thoughts of Kira just flitted away to game gear Heaven, until the svelte Japanese voice greeted from the shadows of the nearby doorway�

�You weren�t lying.�

�No, Raito-kun,� L said dully, �I was not. You already know Mello, and this is Matt.�

For some reason, being introduced to Kira by any name, even the wrong one, seemed�well�terrifying.

Light�s statuesque figure appeared in the doorway then however, possibly more casual in dress than Mello had ever seen him before�a pair of fitted jeans, slung low on his narrow waist, a white button-down shirt, open at the collar, rolled up at the sleeves. His auburn hair was longer than normal, a shag of mismatched lengths, reminiscent of an Ambercrombie model perhaps, feathered at the edges and brushing the tapered slope of his collar�it hadn�t been cut during his stay at the hospital, and either he was changing his classic look, or had actually not bothered to care about personal appearance since his whole world had gone to hell. But his eyes were the same�Kira through and through�long, narrow and guarded as he folded his arms across his chest and fixed Mello in an even stare.

Mello arched a brow awarding Light a lengthened, if not curious look. So they were back to sound effects and attitude. Typical. He had to grin, he had to go for the first button he saw. �You look like hell,� he purred, like he had room to talk after the explosion.

Matt stifled a cough. Everyone that knew him, knew Mello to be downright brash at times but this seemed just downright... wrong? How about inviting trouble? How about inviting murder? Sure Kira didn�t have a Death Note anymore, but. Ah shite.

Mello�s snide remark hit its target however and Light�s narrow eyes reduced to angry, glowering slits�a change in Kira�s already intense expression that Matt especially was not at all comfortable with. In fact, if Matt had his way at that moment, Kira would stay right where he was and not come a step closer, like one of those dogs with the electric fences around them�not to be of course, because Light never truly let comments slung at his pride win their mark entirely. His blistering glare eased into the dangerous sultry manipulative gaze he�d used in excess all the times he and Mello had clashed prior�except for perhaps the time he was on the floor with a crushed hand and a near-mouthful of cum� Mello sneered again at how wrong that had gone, and couldn�t help but note, despite the very stark reality that here was Kira: confessed, caught and now in captivity�he still seemed to effortlessly wield some superiority over all three Wammy kids in his presence.

Inherent God-complex sure, after all, L was not allowing him to view the news first hand, Kira wasn�t getting the live feeds of how his crime-free Utopia was tearing itself apart outside of these high walls. So sure, his God complex was in tact, no doubt plotting for a chance to rear its murderous head once again. Matt looked to L, almost to say as much, because Light managed to convey all that onto his guests without even uttering the next word� yet. L, however, had climbed up into a nearby chair, and was watching the way he normally did�with a mix of blank aloofness and focused curiosity, that could have been waxing intensity or waning interest, depending on the angle of the light. No pun intended. What seemed certain at least to Mello, was that L seemed more interested in Light�s method of handling unexpected guests rather than proving to him that they were, for all intents and purposes, on �his� side.

�You brought them here to insult me,� Light said lowly, and there it was, that goddamn slice to prove he was sill a cut above L�s heirs. Where others would have engaged Mello directly for the taunts he loved to spew, Light spitefully aimed his response over Mello�s head and directly to L, as though Mello was the specimen under the microscope and not Kira�as though what Mello said hadn�t mattered and didn�t even register on the radar to warrant a direct response. No instead Light�Kira�was addressing what must have been some prior altercation between he and the detective. For a second, Mello and Matt were the kids, and L and Light the parents. And Mello didn�t like that one bit. Matt probably would have accused him of over analyzing�but it was there in the glint of Light�s brown sugar eyes� he knew what he was doing.

�Raito-kun,� L sounded tired, but he refused to drop the honorifics from Light�s name even now that he was outed as the world�s most prolific mass murderer. �I assure you that was not my intention. Mello and Matt are here to be briefed, it truly has nothing at all to do with you.�

The comment would have sounded just as mundane as all of L�s other comments, had he been speaking in front of dumber subjects�what it truly was, was the zinger to smack Light where it apparently hurt the most at this particular moment: as god-apparent, Kira of course was to be center of all things. For it to even be suggested that he did not matter, was enough to stir the bristling rage in his eyes. His back was up, and his temper was sizzling, and L knew it. He knew it better than anyone, because he knew Light better than anyone�another disconcerting thought which brought to mind way too many wrong things about this situation.

Kira should have been executed�unfortunately, Near had a valid point about that. Either that, or Kira needed to be in a 12 x 12 cell with no windows for the rest of his life. What Kira should not have been was living the lap of luxury in a fully furnished penthouse apartment. Kira should not have been free to walk around, looking like a model, wearing his faux superiority like the best name-brand cologne�making sure everyone caught the wealthy scent of his divinity. He did not deserve power now. Not Kira�s power to kill, not Light�s power to seduce, not a basic human�s power to even move about freely. This was no punishment, this was barely even an incarceration, since a quick glance into the kitchen, and the stock piles of prepackaged sweets seemed to attest to the fact that L spent a great deal of time in this apartment as well, catering to his prisoner.

Kira needed to be ignored, deflated, defeated, and defamed�L was doing none of those things, L was holding his hand, and god knows what else. Because Mello knew, and Matt knew�and if Near didn�t know, he was certainly aware, that the only reason Kira, Light, Yagami, was allowed to even stand there looking smug and breathing righteous air, was because L loved him. Because somewhere along the line L reneged on his promise to see Kira to the gallows and hang him up for the world to see�instead, he had put everything on the line to save him�L didn�t want Kira�s demise�he wanted his redemption and if Mello didn�t know better, he�d say that their current presence in Kira�s �den� was an experiment by L to see how Kira would react now, to being provoked. And certainly, no one could quite provoke Kira like Mello.

Of course, if Near had ever been right in his life, it had been the moment he accused Mello of his remarkable ability to bring out the worst in people. True enough it had been proven through and through. And Light - no, Kira - just happened to be one of his most favorite targets. It was not without consequence, however, as they seemed to have a knack for insulting one another to the point of all common sense whirling out of control. And Matt sensed his partner's thoughts, reaching out almost immediately as Mello twitched, inching forward as the insult dug deep. All too long he'd been overlooked. Far too long he'd spent living under the shadows of others and Light knew it - he knew it well for there could have been nothing worse than to ignore Mello outright and address L instead. It was hard to tell if Mello had even noticed the hand that gripped at his bicep, stopping him from going any further. Perhaps it was for the best.

�When I found out you were keeping him here, a bloody dungeon wasn't what I had in mind, but this, L?� He snarled, furious, perhaps not so much by the conditions under which L was keeping his prisoner, but that Kira was clearly reveling in the fact that Mello disliked the arrangements.

�Don't,� Matt muttered, his grip tightening only to be shaken off. Yet, it did not appear as if he took offense. No, it was more troubling not only to stand in the same damned room with both L and Kira, but to have Mello challenge not one but both goliaths as if it were nothing. As if it were common occurrence. And while, to a point, it was, he was not up to date on all of the situations Mello had gotten himself into over the past several years, never one eager enough to experience it first hand.

�Don't what?� Mello hissed. �It's no secret that I'd rather see him rot at the mercy of the goddamned worms six feet under than have to look at him in the eye. But this? Is this how we're treating mass murderers now a days? As if a warm bed, three meals a day and cable fucking TV weren't enough, shall we bestow upon them all the creature comforts money can buy and more? No, this is bullshit!�

Mello was seething, that much was obvious, his composure failing him in the face of what they had come to meet. He was truly unsure of what he'd expected, but this treatment was unforgivable. L was catering to Kira�s every goddamned need and spoiling him as one would spoil a toddler if only to keep him comfortable and quiet. Utter fucking bullshit.

Snake. If there was perhaps one word to describe Kira�s immediate reaction to Mello�s outburst, it would be that. And Matt was visibly unnerved by the very motion of it. If he had been smoking, the smoldering butt would have fallen flat off his lips and landed in his lap at the purely evil look Kira�s eyes. Granted Light�s true face was masked in every handsome bend of feature God could probably bestow upon one person�which begged the question as to why Kira would be awarded such favoritism for being so vicious, though that was essentially the issue at hand. Yeah, Matt had seen pictures of Yagami before, but Mello had failed to warn him of the presence that went along with that pretty photogenic face. To see �Kira� in a photo was one thing, and had made Matt scrunch up his nose and go �him?!?!� To be in the same room with Kira�to hear him talk, that low sultry sway of voice, to see how he moved, his manner, his poise, his intensity�well, it left no room for doubt at all. Made sense why L knew Yagami was guilty the moment he laid eyes on him 6 years ago. Perhaps if the devil had a human face, it would be far too easy to picture him as the young man standing before them now, and Lucifer was indeed the favorite after all�so perhaps Mello didn�t have to be so surprised by the �prisoner�s� treatment.. . didn�t stop Mello though of course. There was probably not a living being who could essentially �stop� Mello from doing anything.

Light slid his narrow gaze smoothly over his shoulder�and Matt half expected a forked tongue to flicker out over those perfect lips. His serpent eyes were heavy-lidded with the utmost pleasure that Mello had flown off the handle so very easily, and with that simple notion alone, Kira just seemed to inhale the superiority back into his corner. �I�m actually surprised to hear you speak to L that way,� he purred, and he�d slithered from ignoring Mello straight to chiding him.

L�s expression had actually narrowed�he was still staring at �Kira� with what was now plainly intense character study, and was frankly disturbed by what he saw. If Mello had cared at that moment, it might have occurred to him that this sort of behavior from Kira was possibly not as natural an occurrence as anyone would expect. �Why?� L said flatly, but it was the lower octave of his voice that betrayed his displeasure, �You speak to me like that all the time.�

Light�s gaze snapped back to the detective, and again Mello was ignored. Matt however perhaps half expected there to be a dividing line at least between who was defending who around here for the sake of civility� what he honestly didn�t want to be stuck in the middle of was a flat-out battle royal between L, Kira and Mello�but that certainly seemed the way of things since L was really not on anyone�s side but his own at that moment.

Something even more dangerous moved in Light�s face at L�s words, and it seemed that anything L leveled his way, automatically cut him deeper than if Mello had pulled out a blade and done the deed himself in the corporeal sense. Of course, by attempting to defend L, Kira was obviously trying to align with him�and L had just rejected him, albeit gently. Not good.

There was a tangible moment strung tightly between them�detective and murderer�their eyes locked and poised for combat, the tension ready to snap at any moment� but Light�s posture suddenly eased, and then the snake was back without his hood flared. He smirked, nonchalant; �Hmm, but that�s different.�

L�s expression didn�t betray him in the slightest. �How so, Yagami-kun?� Matt had to hand it to him, he almost sounded genuinely curious, even though he was simply playing Devil�s Advocate.

Light gave a flippant shrug, his gaze rolling haughtily toward Mello and Matt. �Because we know each other so well,� he smiled. Matt definitely got the sense that a look like that could probably turn them to stone, he almost glanced around instinctively for a mirror to deflect it, but Mello was positively seething. And then L did it�his gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, his brain sorting through some exasperating reasoning before he drew the simplest conclusion. �True.�

Light could have just cried victory at that moment, but L had more to say. �Mello, I understand your concern regarding the facilities, but rest assured, I�m very aware of what I�m doing.� That was probably the truth on some variety of complex levels that had nothing to do with the facilities whatsoever. Things probably could have ended there�but Kira wanted to bare his fangs regardless.

�Seems he�s jealous,� Light simpered. It was petty, and low, and he was again talking around Mello by phrasing it as an observation rather than a direct insult�but it was suddenly clear he wasn�t exactly referring to the facilities either�

Mello could have throttled him. Squeezed the very life out of him with his bare hands if that was what it took, but no such satisfaction could be attained so easily. Not as far as Kira was concerned. He too had a knack for surviving the impossible - whether or not it was out of his own accord.

His greatest mistake was walking into that extravagant house thinking that all was well�believing that things were indeed under control as L solemnly swore they were. It was far from the truth as far as he was concerned. Far from anything he could have ever dreamed up. Kira was not beaten, not in every sense of the word. Holed away and isolated from all he used to be, taken away from his life, his purpose, his warped mission of righteousness but the truth of the matter - the reality that it was truly over had not yet sunk in and that in itself was a problem. He remained the same seductive, manipulative son of a bitch he had been then. Now more so than ever because there was something of an upper hand he'd gained through it all.

L had kept him alive. L still protected and catered to his every need despite all that had happened. Despite the fact that all of them could have been dead with the blink of a fraking eye should his highness wish it. Such details seemed easily forgotten and that, above all, infuriated Mello. This wasn't love. This was downright foolish blindness. It was weakness at its best. A fact that, although he would be pressed to utter aloud, was likely made quite clear as the onslaught of thoughts and emotions crossed his features. Mello, unlike both L and Near, had never quite grasped the concept of eternal deadpan. To hide away such raw emotion was not truly living. It suited him and at the same time betrayed far too much when it most mattered to keep his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself.

"No," when he spoke again, his voice was quiet, if not dangerously so. A smirk had returned, but it was bitter. There was no humor in the mirrored green of his eyes. "It has little to do with jealousy, Light," he spat the name as if it offended him. "I do not envy you now as I didn't envy you then. I'd rather see you in shackles than rolling around in that king sized bed of yours, but regardless of how much it bothers me, I'll accept it..." Slow, measured steps brought him closer. Closing in the distance Matt had wished so feverishly would not be crossed. But, as he reached out for the blond, a hand was held up, pausing him.

It was the lack of anger that caused Matt to freeze and narrow his eyes at him. The lack of anything but controlled bitterness that seemed to emit off Mello's very person, which caused the younger man to frown, but let him proceed all the same, scowling despite himself at how quickly the scene was unfolding. This wasn't what they'd talked about. Hell. They hadn't even expected to see Kira face to face. Not this soon and certainly not under these conditions. It was dangerous. Both of them too goddamned volatile and it seemed that L's presence did little more than add to the fire instead of subdue it. Intriguing that. There was obviously a lot he'd missed out on. He would just have to make it a point to bombard his partner with all the right questions later.

"I'll accept it because at least here I'll know where you are," Mello continued as if the slight pause had meant nothing. "At least here, regardless of whether or not you're being treated like the deity you believe yourself to be, you're still trapped between four walls without any resources, any reach to the outside world and while you may think yourself great for what you've done and what you've become..." He paused then, an arm's length away, and sneered. "To them out there," he nodded vaguely in the direction of the windows. "You're dead. You're nothing but a memory and your beautiful world crumbles even as we stand here. Surely you must have noticed - or if you haven't, you will soon enough. There's plenty of work for you to do now. And it'll take a whole lot more effort than simply picking up a bloody pen." He remained there a short while, just holding that brown gaze unflinching. He'd had practice. He could look into those murderous eyes as if he were but another thug out on the streets. Mello had had his share. "Your hands are as dirty as those of the men you hoped to erase from this world," he sneered lowly. "What have I to be jealous of when it is you who've been beaten? You who's fallen so far?" Mello chuckled then, the sound eerie against the otherwise silent tension that had spread through the room. He shook his head seconds later, spreading his hands out to either side. "I've lost nothing."

�Nothing?� Light�s voice was smooth and slippery, an octave lower than the polite golden boy tone he�d often used in public. It was his true voice, Kira�s voice, and shouldn�t have sounded so damn level in that moment. After all, Mello had said it�he was sure in so many words L had said it before him, but since L was obviously treating this matter on an entirely different playing field, Mello had spat Kira�s failures at him with the full intention of watching him wither right there on the spot. Judging from the look on L�s face, and the way he�d leaned just a bit further forward than usual, he was waiting for it too�waiting for something�like he expected Kira was going to react in a preordained manner that Mello might not have anticipated at that moment�and of course L being L had no intention of warning him one way or another. But Kira�s eyes gleamed and Mello realized he�d developed a whole new method of dealing with his new existence� complete and utter denial.

Light had always been at the foremost extreme of delusional, it came as no surprise that he�d managed to let Mello�s words slide right off him because at his core, he did not believe them, did not accept them, and would essentially not hear them. L was soaking that in for certain, and Mello had planted himself right in Kira�s personal space, so there Kira remained in front of him with no intention of backing down. Not physically, and certainly not in his pre-composed self-righteousness. He was close enough to kiss, and that was a disconcerting thought Mello wished he didn�t have, because that rich syrupy smile spread further, and those amber eyes sparkled beneath the long line of bangs.

�Nothing?� He repeated it lower, softer, intimately, and both L and Matt seemed to be leaning more forward to hear what was being said.

But Light held Mello�s gaze effortlessly, and there was so much at work in those eyes of his, so much to read, so much to see, so much presence it was almost an overload, and only seemed to reinforce the notion that Kira wasn�t beaten because he could still look at someone like that. He lowered his gaze almost demurely to choose his words, the essence of them dripping off his tongue very much like the seduction it appeared, and he was calculating every damn nuance most certainly as a form of his superiority. �We both know what you�ve lost, Mello,� he purred�and those words were only meant for the blonde�s ears. �What you�ve worked all your life for�striving to be the best, to prove yourself� to make him proud and want to notice you. You and all the other good little boys and girls� but does he notice you? Does he notice you now?� His eyes glanced furtively in L�s direction, but still the motion for Mello only. �Or is it me he�s looking at that way?�

And in that observation at the very least, the bastard was right.

So it had come to utter denial. Interesting, but also unnerving. Very much so. Mello let his prior grin falter despite himself, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched the dark emotions that flitted in and out of sight behind those reddish amber eyes. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. It felt as if his world had been tossed on its head in just that one split second. Unprepared once again. Unprepared and reaching blindly for the reactions he had become familiar with - reactions that had become a thing of the past without his knowing.

That quiet voice had the same impact it always had in the past, however. Barbed-wire laced seduction on the tip of his tongue, meant to disarm and crush all in one sweep of a well played move. Light was an expert. He'd been wielding the same tactic for years, it had long become perfect. And Mello had to grit his teeth against that lure - the perfectly placed bait that would, under different circumstances, earned Light a bruise to that pretty face.

No. Nothing had been lost. "You can't lose what you never gained," Mello hissed in return, his words just as quiet but all the more fierce. Another jab taken. Another that hit a little too close to home. "This isn't a competition between you and I, not as you seem so eager to make it out to be." He did not understand. No one but those who had been brought up and raised with one goal and one goal only in mind could understand what it meant to work that hard, to strive for the one thing that was always, by one reason or another, just out of reach. Yet, at the same time, he had what others didn't. He had L's trust, however thin it may run at any given time. He had his acquaintance. He could stand before the man that had in essence become a legend to them all and speak the truth however brutal it may be. Not even Near had that much. But Light had always been one step ahead. "You think you know everything, but you understand nothing,� Mello said darkly. �And you know nothing. You do not know me, Light. Keep his attention, what you've got out of L is the farthest thing from what I want."

Kira�s eyes drank in Mello from head to toe, sizing him up, his posture, his stance, the way his breathing shallowed as he spoke the words, and the amused flinch in his haughty expression seemed to quite immediately conclude that Mello was lying�whether he was or he wasn�t, that was Kira�s irritating conclusion, and he backed his response up to the comment he felt would sting the best. �Can�t lose what you have never gained?� He murmured thoughtfully, and he feigned genuine almost as well as he feigned innocence, before the amusement slithered back across his handsome face. �How sad.�

And here Mello had behaved so well, only to throw it all away for that one sliver of satisfaction as his fist connected viciously with Light's pretty jaw; doubling the satisfaction with the sound of his own knuckles cracking against teeth. Blood appeared almost immediately upon the newly split lip. "Fuck you!" he hissed, not even bothering to raise his voice to make himself heard beyond this small little bubble they'd isolated themselves into. If there was one thing he would not tolerate, it was pity. Feigned or not, he abhorred it above all else. Yet, it looked as if he was content with that one blow, at least for now. Fingers curled and uncurled as he took a number of steps back, no doubt having managed to hurt himself with the carelessness.

The ironic part was that Matt probably looked more stunned than Light himself at the blow, after all, Mello had just decked Kira of all people, and the sly sonofabitch was on the floor, a place Matt was pretty sure he wasn�t so comfortable with�and he was bristling mad. So when Light flew to his feet faster than Mello perhaps expected, Matt managed to squeak some half warning before Light all but slammed Mello halfway across the room� only�he didn�t.

L was the quickest on the draw, and in less than half a heartbeat, had caught Light mid-lunge, using his momentum to swing him back away from Mello and in one deft move, shove him hard against the wall. And then L was there, the whole scene quite uncharacteristic to Matt and Mello who had never seen him do anything of the sort before. But judging from the snarling, albeit contained expression on Light�s face�and not to mention that fact he hadn�t attacked a second time�Kira was more than well acquainted with L�s hidden martial arts talents. A silent warning passed from L to Light, and Mello probably would have given up a chocolate bar to have understood exactly what it was that they both understood. But L had planted himself firmly in between the two volatile young men, and Kira, had just essentially� backed down. Maybe the detective knew what he was doing after all.

So Kira could be tamed? Unlike some would have done, Mello did not take this seemingly golden opportunity to strike a second time. He was not so foolish despite what it may seem. He felt a tug at his elbow and took several more steps backward, barely hearing Matt's voice until the redhead had repeated himself a second time. "Are you out of your bloody mind?" It was likely uncharacteristic and more than definitely out of place, but Mello laughed all the same - the sound quiet and strained, if not a bit unhinged but it did not last. He shook his head and unconsciously flicked haphazard bangs from his right eye.

Light�s frown was grim and threatening, but the fire in his eyes had indeed simmered, his gaze locked with L�s long enough for him to calm to a semi-rational state.

�Mello,� and L was speaking without actually turning to him, still watching Kira, as though to make sure he wouldn�t lunge the minute L turned his back. �I would prefer that you refrain from assaulting Raito-kun, he is in no condition with his injuries.�

It was simple enough, but all parties read between the lines, and Light looked positively vindicated that L had just stuck up for him and chastised Mello for striking him. That wicked little corner of his now-bleeding mouth hitched up behind the hand he was holding his face with, and his eyes flashed victoriously in Mello�s direction�

"Ah, yes," Mello muttered bitterly. "I'll make sure to wait 'till he's fully recovered next time." Even as he said it, a part of him regretted it. After all, L didn't deserve such attitude, even if he wasn't particularly content with the man. It wasn't an argument worth being discussed in Light's presence. But, rather than voice his apology, he held his hands up, lowering his gaze, swallowing his words through gritted teeth as if it pained him to do so. And maybe it did.

"L, I'm sorry about this..." It was Matt who spoke up, albeit hesitantly, once again a clear voice of reason amidst the chaos, perhaps the only thing that kept Mello sane and out of a grave these days.

�There will be no next time,� L said rather sternly. He was still in the middle of the three of them, and slightly less hunched than normal. �The fact remains that you are all now under my employment and will be working together on various cases�I will not tolerate this sort of behavior� from any of you.� His eyes went ironically to Mello, before they went to Kira�who was probably the biggest handful of the three. And whether L was showing favoritism, or in his own way actually working to protect Mello and Matt from a murderous temper, Matt wanted to think it was the latter. But Kira had quieted, and was actually turning to move to the kitchen to clean himself up.

�L?� And goddamnit, Light suddenly did a 180�his voice climbing to that tenor pitch of Golden Boy again, himself composed except for the trickle of blood he kept dabbing from his lip. He suddenly sounded quite normal and domesticated, and not the vicious slithering serpent he was moments earlier.

L looked up at him, and Mello and Matt stared somewhat dumbly because neither of them could think of how to address this new curve ball. Was L out of his mind? Was Light that good of a fuck, that L�s remaining common sense had run fleeing from the building? Mello was doing the math most certainly. Of course, the thought of anyone fucking L was as blasphemous as it was� odd. He just didn�t come off that way.

�The cake is cool,� Light said simply, as though Mello and Matt weren�t even standing there, and this was some cookie cutter image of domestic bliss.

L fell right into step. �Thank you Yagami-kun,� he muttered. �Please bring us all a plate, and we can discuss matters.�

�Hai,� Light said, and turned back to the kitchen. The look on both Matt and Mello�s faces was pretty much the same� What. The. Fuck.

He wasn't particularly sure when he allowed his jaw to fall agape. The mention of cake, perhaps. No, not that. L's invitation that Kira should serve them all cake, however, was pushing it, but that tamed response that followed, as if nothing were wrong, nothing had just happened was perhaps what did him in. What's next? Bloody afternoon tea, brought to you by the newly domesticated Kira? He cooks, he bakes! He can even bring you tea with just the right amount of sugar.

It was a nightmarish perspective he did not care to look in on.

But it was too late, and Mello was left there, standing dumbfounded as Light retreated into the kitchen and by the gods, indeed proceeded to fetch them plates by the sounds of it. Beside him, without asking, Matt lit up a cigarette. He couldn't blame him.

What the fuck had just happened? Certainly they must've missed something. Something big by the looks of it.

L was crouching in the chair again, and nonchalantly called in over his shoulder as if it were the most normal thing in the world: �Raito-kun, tea please?�

From inside, Light�s voice was as weightless and non-threatening as Mello had ever�ever�heard it. Not even Light as he was Kira posing as L had ever sounded so�so�normal? Normal perhaps for a Japanese, stuck up genius, but still fucking-A-normal.

�Of course,� he said. �The usual?�

�Yes, please,� Was L�s equally polite response, before the detective turned to Mello and Matt, whose cigarette was really just hanging there stinking up the place.

�Something wrong?� L muttered. As if he didn�t know�.

"Christ..." Mello breathed after a while, not realizing until then that he'd actually been holding his breath. Stiffly, he took the few steps toward the nearest seat, sinking into the cushions, but instead of relaxing, it was clear that he was completely taken back by this sudden flip-flop, if not downright disturbed. This just wasn't right! The thin leather gloves were pulled hastily off his fingers before he ran them through the mass of haphazard blonde tresses. This wasn't happening. It just couldn't. Sooner or later he'd wake up sprawled in his own bed and find it to be nothing more than a nightmare.

"No..." it was Matt that came to the rescue, settling beside him moments later. "I suppose nothing's wrong but..." Ah, that curiosity streak came to life at last. He let his visage drift toward the general direction of the kitchen, catching only but a few glimpses due to the cut off angle. Brows narrowed in thought. Confused and he wasn't the only one. But alas, L had already mentioned something akin to bipolar disorder regarding Light, hadn't he? But to see it act this drastically? It was cause for some worry.

L turned back to the book he�d been paging through, nothing current or even remotely modern, some classic Light must have been thumbing over before they�d invaded on him because it was out in the open. �The transition is not always so seamless, but this is really him just behaving.� He said. �He has been having very severe episodes�manic depressive at the most extreme ends of the scale�he caused himself enough psychosomatic trauma to bring on fevers, among other things, and we�re basically at a stage where I don�t feel comfortable leaving him alone. He�s not suicidal, but I wouldn�t put any attempts past him as bids for my attention.� He glanced up at the equally gaping faces of Matt and Mello, and blinked, half listening to Light making tea in the next room. Light was Japanese�he took pride in that whole tea thing, so he wasn�t coming out until it was perfect. No mugs in microwaves for him it seemed�

�I�m telling you, because while Matt is meeting Yagami Raito for the first time, you, Mello, have only ever known�Kira. I will be honest�tonight is the strongest show of Kira�s persona that I�ve seen since the Yellowbox Warehouse� not even at our worst, has he relapsed this badly� seems you bring that out in him. But I was expecting that�anticipating it. I needed to see Kira again because it�s been awhile, and I wasn�t sure if he was getting better, or just pretending� and it will benefit the whole situation if I�m aware what Kira is thinking. His doctor has all but diagnosed him as bipolar. We agreed on more manic depressive�which is something he most likely was before he ever found the notebook. However, 6 years with the Death Note corrupted him further�and so you get Kira.�

Ah, those words again. It would appear that L, too, agreed in his ability to dredge out the worst there was to Light. Mello mustered a faint smirk, but a twitch of his lips all the while his gaze remained fixed on the floor behind him. Elbows resting lightly upon leather-clad knees as he leaned forward, seemingly weary. "If all you wanted to do was test your theory, then you could've just told me to come here." He paused briefly, allowing his gaze to flit toward L, watching him through a veil of blonde tresses. "You truly think any of this will work? If this keeps up..."

L looked at him blankly. �It�s a process, it�s all a process. I had been debating exposing Raito-kun to other people for a short time now, only because it�s hard for me to judge him now when it�s just between us. We have methods of behaving around one another�he knows my tricks, I know his, I can�t gauge him that way. You showing up presented the opportunity rather flawlessly. He reacted as I expected��

�I reacted to what?� Light said somewhat snobbishly, carrying a tray with the tea and cake. Matt was still gaping to some degree, cigarette in his mouth, which Light quickly yanked away and extinguished. Light didn�t skip a beat despite Matt�s eyebrows knotting together at his nerve. �Mello?� He still sounded snobbish, but his gaze wasn�t meeting any of theirs, instead he went about pouring the tea with a cultural meticulousness that was nothing shy of perfect, Mello half expected him to suddenly appear in a kimono or something.

Light shrugged. �Mello brings out the worst in everyone, from what I can tell. I�m sure even Near would be better contained if it weren�t for Mello.�

L sipped his tea surprisingly without adding anymore sugar, which meant Light indeed had the formula memorized. �Raito-kun,� he chided flatly, �Stop trying to cause fights.�

�Just merely making an observation,� Light simpered, taking a seat himself, and at last lifting his eyes with a wry smile pointed in Mello�s direction.

A breath touched his lips at the remarks. And it was a wonder he too often lost his cool, having such comments flung around with every given opportunity. Light reveled in it, surely enough, now securely away out of reach in his own little protective bubble. Mello was not to touch him, and that was just as well, but he could still cast him an unfriendly look. "Fuck off," he stated flatly with an accompanying smile. That, too, was allowed. An apt substitute for violence in the absence of any other choices, even if it was not quite as effective.

Beside him Matt was studying the seemingly foreign contents of his tea. Downright British as he may be, his tastes ran to less traditional concoctions, but never the less the drink was tasted. There was only so much one could do to fuck up such a simple thing. That cake, however, was another story all together. He wasn't so quick to believe that Light could honest to god, bake something that would not kill them all on the spot.

L of course was first to shovel in mouthfuls of the strawberry shortcake, he took a moment and nodded approvingly at Light, who had been watching to see what he thought. �It�s my fault if it�s on the sweet side,� L said around the confection gobbed in his mouth. �I made him add more sugar.�

�It�s your cake,� Light shrugged. �You know I don�t really eat this sort of thing anyway. But I�m glad you like it.�

�I liked making it,� L muttered, and for some odd reason, Light almost choked on his tea, which brought a slight smirk to L�s mouth.

Light wasn't the only one to choke on his tea, however Matt's reaction was a bit delayed as comprehension sunk in. No, certainly that didn't mean what he thought it did. And just as he was about to reach for one of the previously cut slices, too. Granted, the moment L mentioned the possibility of too much sugar - there was never such a thing as too much sugar as far as L was concerned - his appetite had suddenly whisked away.

Beside him, Mello groaned with a hushed curse slipping from between his lips. This was not happening. As if this weird sense of misplaced normality wasn't enough out of place, such details could truly be spared. Not only did he not approve of such a relationship, as fucked as it was, and as long as he'd known about it. He never had gotten used to the idea, and this was not the time to start. "That was unnecessary."

Two sets of equally unamused eyes found him simultaneously, and neither seemed very apologetic for the implications of L�s statement. Light, of course, was the first one to lie. �I�m sorry, something wrong?� His drippy politeness was actually harder to tolerate than Kira�s overbearing predatory sexuality. And it was hard to tell which of his personas was being the bigger snob. At least Kira was fairly blunt about it�

�My apologies, Mello,� L said flatly and truly without apology, �That was a private statement.� And he crammed another piece of cake into his mouth.

Private was an understatement. It was no secret by now. It hadn't been a secret for a long time, but to be reminded so bluntly was just enough to disturb him. Just a bit. It wasn't a mental image he preferred to entertain. It was not so shocking had it come out of Light's mouth, but the unsettling factor was that it had been L himself to utter the words that told them more than they had wanted to know regarding that afternoon's events. It was best just to shake his head and hold up a hand, letting the comment and awkwardness pass for now. There was nothing anyone could do about the circumstances as they stood.

It was of course while Mello was attempting some modicum of civility by trying to usher the subject off the playing field and into the abyss of visuals-never-to-be-thought-upon-again, that Light sat back in his chair and crossed his legs nonchalantly, fixing Mello in an ever-amused and far too calculating stare. The look made Mello blink, and realize that while perhaps Light was bipolar, and did have manic depressive fits and bouts of �should-I-or-shouldn�t-I-throw-myself-off-the-top-of-the-building� moments�here and now, whether he was pouring tea or wearing an apron, he was still nothing more than Kira incognito. The syrupy amusement in that catlike little smirk said as much. So L had a point when he�d declared the current show of domesticity was just Kira on good behavior�because man did he snap up Mello�s discomfort fast. And being that Light had spent the better part of the last six years under 24/7 surveillance, it was quite possible he didn�t have an ounce of shame left to his name�if it pleased him to use the notion of he and L entangled in coital bliss against Mello, he was most certainly willing.

Mello caught that nuance easily in his face, and waited for it�the snide remark, the conjuring of certain perversions over tea and cake� god, cake? Mello looked to the fluffy, gooey, creamy confection L had pretty much already devoured half of, and sneered. What the hell else was in that cake? He hated to even entertain the thought�what�s more�and this sucked royally because Light didn�t even have to say anything, and he�d already turned Mello�s brain toward the subject�who dominated? And what the hell sort of psychological effects could such a bedroom relationship have on the much greater battle of Kira vs. L? Who knew they were going to end up like this? It wasn�t right, not in the cards�against all the dictates of nature basically�that two of the century�s most prevalent enemies ended up as bedmates, essentially fucking over strawberry shortcake? Mello grimaced and Light�s grin broadened like he was some sort of mind reader. He had another Ace he could safely tuck up his designer sleeve. Designer clothes� L had bought him designer clothes� the thought grated on Mello even more�Kira the little Prodigal Prince�ran off to conquer the world and when he came back having failed at his exploits of absolute power, was welcomed into the fold of L�s every available hospitality�probably because he was too gifted a brain to destroy�whatever other power he had over L� it was as disturbing as it was impressive�but Mello wouldn�t let Light even see a flicker of that in his face. So it was a problem, a very large problem sitting directly across from him�protected through and through by the man who was supposed to have brought him to justice�what struck Mello most at that moment however, was not only that Light seemed to have effortlessly gleaned his every frustration�but so...had L. And again, both sets of eyes were on him�.
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