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Fever Dreams	By : sashocirrione Category: Death Note > Yaoi-Male/Male > L/Light Views: 2733 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
CHAPTER 29
It was easy to get into the building itself. To the mass of police officers surrounding the perimeter, L and Light were simply yet more bomb inspectors, the only ones brave enough to still be willing to enter the building. They both wore full-body hazardous materials suits and breathing masks to obscure their identities. Only a few of the higher-ups had been told they were employees of L, and nobody had seen their faces.
Light hardened his determination as the ring of police officers parted to let them through. He took to heart the words of encouragement the officers were calling out, though they didn't know how important this was. This was the final showdown, the last chance to outsmart Kira.
L was trailing behind a little, as if he were the subordinate of the two, and that was good, it would probably make him slightly safer. L was wheeling an oxygen tank. There was a danger of smoke inhalation, and the shared oxygen tank would tie them together by force unless they were in an area without smoke. In any case, L had made it clear that it was not allowed for Light to disconnect from the tank and go off on his own without permission, or if he did his Kira percentage would rise to nearly a hundred percent, and there would be consequences of some kind.
The fact that L hadn't specified exactly what the consequences would be made Light surmise that it would probably be bad. L would be very angry; perhaps he'd even break off the relationship, or at least pretend to for a few months.
They entered together through the hole that had been smashed in the wall by the truck, with glass crunching under their boots, turning on their flashlights as soon as they came far enough inside the gloom. The only other light came from the headbeams of many police cars shining through the glass walls and from the dim flickering glow of distant fires shining down hallways.
L suddenly yanked on Light's oxygen tube, keeping him from stepping forward, and said, "Koi Pond."
Light looked down and saw, almost hidden by sheets of rubble and collapsed ceiling tiles, a build-in floor pool that he'd been only a few steps away from falling into. It hadn't been on the blueprints they'd received. It must have been installed later.
Light flicked his flashlight downward to reveal it fully, and saw several of the large ornamental goldfish circling there in the clearer parts of the water. Light traced the extent of the pool with his flashlight's beam and made a new route around it, through deeper rubble but without a dangerous false floor underneath.
It wasn't possible to get down the hallway that should be the best route for getting to the eastern stairwell, the one reported to be the clearest. They ended up retracing their steps and trying a different hallway, but they still couldn't get to the desired stairwell because of another cave-in in that direction.
L came close and said, as quietly as he could and still be heard through the mask, "We'll need to take the western stairway."
"But that's on fire!"
"There was a fire there, it may have died down by now. In any case, we will not face any dangers from smoke inhalation, and if it is impossible to get past the fire without being burned we can always return here and try using the axes to go through walls around the collapsed portions."
Light said, "Agreed."
When they were almost to the correct doorway, there was a crunching sound from behind and L suddenly hissed loudly. Light spun around to see their cameras, tiny things that had been hidden on the wheeled oxygen tank, being lifted into the air one by one and crushed. During the process, L struggled briefly with an invisible form, and then as soon as the last camera was destroyed he was clawing at empty air, trying to touch, but his hands were obviously encountering nothing.
Suddenly the dark innards of the building seemed more ominous than ever, with the pressing gloom every place the flashlights weren't pointing, and strange jagged shapes everywhere. Nothing was as it should be.
L slid his cellphone from a pocket, pushed a few buttons, and while dangling it next to his face said, "Watari, Kira knows we are here. Did you get footage of the cameras being destroyed?"
Light could just barely hear an affirmative reply from Watari.
L said, "We will proceed to the basement through the western stairway. If you receive the emergency signal, dig through that wall to reach us. If I am no longer alive, be sure that no objects are removed from the building without being destroyed. Search anyone as soon as they leave."
The emergency signal would be sent out if L's cellphone were destroyed or if he sent out the signal purposely by using a small transmitter hidden somewhere on his body.
As Light leaned closer, he heard Watari say, "If I do not receive that signal, how long should I wait until trying to retrieve you?"
"As long as you can wait. We must be allowed to gather as much evidence as possible. Extraction is a last-resort solution."
Watari replied, "I am not sure that is wise."
L said, "Do not tell me how much risk to take. I am willing to die for this case."
At that there was silence on the phone, followed by a loud sigh and, "Very well."
The western stairwell was choked with smoke, and just inside the door there was a pile of rubble that entirely blocked off access. L and Light together worked to pick up the debris: chucks of concrete, snarls of broken-off tubing and electrical wire, and twisted air-conditioning units and desks.
After they had cleared enough of a space to crawl through and drag the oxygen tank behind them, Light surveyed the smoking hole and the intact stairway he could see through it and said, "This was obviously placed here, it didn't just fall. Perhaps we should use a different route."
"Either Kira does not want us to enter this way," L said, "or this is the surest route to the trap."
The trap. What does Kira plan? To expose our faces? Surely Kira could have done so before now, in a less obvious way.
L began moving but Light pushed ahead of him, determined to be the first through the gap. Some remaining small rubble rolled under his feet, the pile shifting and unstable. Light dropped to hands and feet for the last bit, glad of having thick gloves to protect him from the shards of glass. Then he was through the space they'd created and reached backwards to grab L's hand and help to pull him through as well.
The stairwell was completely open past the artificial pile; only that particular door had been blocked by heaped-up rubble. The stairs and walls were intact, but smoke was pouring up from somewhere below and swirling further up into the darkness to ascend.
Light used his flashlight but it only helped a bit because of the obscuring smoke, which only obscured more when it was illuminated. They descended and as they did so the red-lit glow increased, along with a roaring, crackling sound of the flames. When Light turned the last corner and saw the fire, he was surprised at its modest size. For all that smoke, he had expected something larger. He carefully swept the area with his flashlight beam, looking for anything else dangerous, but not seeing anything out of the ordinary.
L huddled close and in a low tone he said, "It should be easy to get past this small fire. Be ready."
He thinks Kira's trap might be just beyond this door. But he is talking as if he isn't talking to me. I know this already. He must have left his cellphone on so Watari can still hear us.
Light hesitated a few more moments to scan with his flashlight, then began walking slowly towards the exit, feeling with his feet every step of the way in case the floor were somehow rigged to collapse. Just as his hand was reaching for the door handle, loud thumps echoed down the stairway, coming from somewhere far above. It sounded large and alarming, but not like collapsing walls or ceilings, rather like something very heavy being pushed and rolled along, accompanied with bangs and scraping noises.
L said, "I suspect the hole we created is being closed up again. When we are ready to leave, we may have to seek a different way out."
This proves it. He is narrating for Watari. I wouldn't need to hear something so obvious.
The sounds were getting closer.
Although, is it truly more rubble for the heap? I almost think it is getting-
Light said, "Watch out, the trap is behind us."
L had already started to turn, the front of his head pointing in the direction of the last flight of stairs.
Or, Kira is hoping to get us between two traps. Something could still happen with that door to the basement, or on the other side of it. However, if Kira can command a shinigami to kill us with rubble, then why aren't we dead yet? Also, why weren't the previous people who tried to investigate this scene killed instead of merely being scared away?
Light turned his head to keep both the bottom of the stairway and the door into the basement in view at the same time, though they were almost in opposite directions and so each place was close to the edge of his peripheral vision. Moments later, a couch came into view, descending the stairs by itself.
Light was afraid to turn his gaze away from the door to get a good look, but he heard L say, "There are impressions on one end, as if large invisible hands are grabbing it. The shinigami is pulling this sofa down the stairs."
The couch stopped, and L said, "Is it Rem or Ryuk? It is of no use to pretend you are not moving the sofa."
At that, a horrible screech started and Light couldn't help but look directly, seeing words scratching themselves into the surface of the concrete wall next to the couch.
It said, "Good deduction. You always were fun."
L said, "Rem is more concerned with threats. Ryuk is more concerned with fun. I guess that you are Ryuk. Ryuk, you are obviously strong enough to kill us. Why are we still alive?"
More words appearing, spelling out, "It wouldn't be fun to tell you why."
L replied, "For that matter, why has nobody else died at this scene? There have been fires, explosions and collapses, but everyone we know of is still alive. Nobody has even been seriously injured."
Feeling a little silly talking to empty air, Light said, "Ryuk, why do you need a jackhammer if you can claw so easily into concrete?"
Words appeared again, saying, "It takes longer with claws. Why don't you visit the dig site and see? It would go faster with help."
L said, "And exactly where is that dig site?"
There was no reply, but the couch started moving again. Light could see the pressed-down marks of huge fingers on it, and he noted the way that the jerky dangerous-looking lurches of the couch slowed down in order for it to gently ease past L and then join the fire.
The shinigami does not want to harm us. Or is that a trick too? Perhaps it is incapable of harming us, or unwilling. What kind of god of death is this? A very pathetic one, if it won't kill or maim.
L said, "This stairway is intact, Ryuk, though you could easily collapse it. You are deliberately filling it with smoke, so that those without oxygen tanks cannot descend, which would apply to all those employees trapped on the upper floors. Are you trying to leave it as an evacuation route? To be used later, after you have what you want?"
There was no answer.
After a few minutes of additional tries by L to get some sort of communication, Light pulled subtly on L's oxygen hose. At that, L fell in behind once again and Light opened the door. It showed an equipment room of some kind, with pipes and large metal tanks in rows. A loud sound echoed constantly from somewhere. The air was clear, free of smoke. Light quickly exited, pulled L along behind, and then flattened himself against the wall, sweeping the area with his flashlight's beam.
What is Kira's plan? We need to outsmart him, not to merely fall into his trap, but to spring the trap and turn the tables on him. Kira can't be here in person, can he? He wouldn't take such a risk. But at least one person controlled by Kira is probably here. According to the Yotsuba group's information, Kira's power cannot force the intended victim to kill someone else, so it must be that our identities are meant to be exposed somehow, so Kira can kill us personally. Does L intend to deliberately expose our faces to spring the trap, and then trace Kira's controlled victim back to Kira?
L said, "The dig site is obviously where the noise is. It is not very far."
I know my way through these rooms as well as he does. Perhaps we should take an unexpected route. Although, Kira would expect that as well. There are only two choices now. To go directly there, or to explore elsewhere first.
Light began leading away from the noise, intending to circle the noise from every direction and search for additional clues, but a voice, a familiar-sounding voice that Light couldn't quite place, suddenly called out, "Hey! Who is it that has a light over there?"
Another voice said, "Is there a way out? Are you the rescuers?"
L's flashlight was already swinging toward the source of the voices, and then it came to rest. There, poking their heads around from behind a large boiler, were two faces Light had not expected to see.
L said, "Reiji Namikawa and Shingo Mido, you have some explaining to do since you do not even work in this city."
L is letting go of the element of surprise so easily? Well, he needs to narrate for Watari, and even if these two are knowingly working for Kira they must already have some idea of who we are, so it is only a small loss.
Mido shaded his eyes from the flashlight and squinted in their direction. He coughed weakly a few times and then said, "Who are you?"
Namikawa said, "Careful. Either they are working for Kira, or for L."
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Fever Dreams