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A Doppelganger\'s Bet	By : pinkfeline Category: Death Note > Yaoi-Male/Male > L/Light Views: 3881 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Light glanced back once at his sleeping double before phasing out of the room and into the hallway

Updated 14/05/09 - Betaed by Kati-chan

A Doppelganger�s Bet: Chapter 2

Light glanced back once at his sleeping double before phasing out of the room and into the hallway, which was accomplished simply by walking �into� the wall. At this late hour, everyone in the house had already gone to bed leaving the house in a dark, slumbering silence. Light found it somewhat of a new experience, this �creeping around his house in the dark� business. There was something exhilarating about being able to move around without being seen, even with the clinging and foolish fear that he would be caught.

Light phased through the front door and out into the street, taking a minute to consider his surroundings. He had walked through these streets often enough in his lifetime and he knew their layout by heart. Turning, Light began to walk down the familiar path, losing himself in the comfortable monotony of a daily routine that circumstances deprived him of.

He walked for a while, intending only to walk around the block. He was not comfortable with the idea of getting too far from the doppelganger. The creature had already shown that it acted more on impulse than on clear planning, a sure way to get itself and Light caught. Especially when the enemy was this �L�.

To say that Light was impressed by the intelligence of the detective behind the codename would have been a vast understatement. In a seemingly impossible case, this detective had managed to reveal that, yes, it was murder and that the murderer was somewhere in Kanto, Japan.

All this just from one incident, Kira�s first victim in his façade as Light.

L was arrogant and very confident in his or her abilities, thinking that Kira would be caught soon. The detective was brilliant, but even Light doubted that L would figure this case out so easily. Yes, Kira had acted on impulse and Light would have reacted similarly had he been in a similar position, but he shared Light�s knowledge and had its own to fall back on. For all that the creature appeared harmless at first, it had the resources to make life difficult, even for such a person as L.

As of yet no one had seemed to pick up on any inconsistencies or changes in Light. Light was probably partly to blame for that. It was not like he had ever let these people get close enough to really know him. All they knew was the image he presented and the role he acted, an easy enough part for the doppelganger to fall into.

Light was almost home, having nearly completed the circuit. He hardly noticed, wrapped up in his thoughts as he was.

Somehow, Light had to sabotage the doppelganger without risking his own identity in the process.

Light could already imagine the events that would transpire if the doppelganger lost the bet but left Light with a criminal record. Light had no alibi that would not have him deemed insane and on the road to execution.

Impossible, it was damn near impossible. Unless he managed to track down a spirit Medium that was genuine in her ability.

Hmm, that was a possibility.

So far Light had found no boundaries as to the distance he could travel from the doppelganger, but again it came to the fact that he was not comfortable with leaving it to its own devices. He could not read the doppelganger�s thoughts nor its memories, after all.

Before the game had begun, the creature had mentioned that it would have access to Light�s mind and memories. He wondered now if this included his thoughts. Light had taken the past week to observe the doppelganger carefully and was confident in his theory that when the doppelganger had said that he would have access to his memories, it would only be up to the point of when the game began. Naturally, the doppelganger would have no need to access Light�s memory after the game had begun, so it was merely as if the memories were copied from those already present. Light was more than a little relieved at this � the creature could not read his mind nor have continuous access to it.

Therefore he could try and find a psychic without Kira�s knowledge. The only problem was that he had no idea how to find one. He could not affect the physical, so he couldn�t check any of the ads in the newspaper or use the Internet. Similarly he could not use the television since he could not change channels. Lastly, the doppelganger was unlikely to help him or let it happen. The doppelganger was playing to win after all.

Light blinked as he found himself standing in front of his house. He had been functioning fully on autopilot and had not realised he had made it home. Phasing in and walking upstairs, Light found that nothing had changed in his absence. Relief washed over him which made him scoff. He was being unreasonable; the likelihood of anything of particular interest or concern happening was minuscule.

Kira was slumbering peacefully, the bed sheets still neat around the prone form. Apparently Light, and therefore Kira, was not one to toss around in sleep. An inconsequential little observation that came as no surprise to the teen, and was quickly discarded.

Light took a seat on his desk chair and turned to watch the sleeping Kira. He felt no need to rest and was therefore keeping company with boredom. A million thoughts and plans were waiting to make themselves known, but even if Light did not feel the physical need for rest, his mind cried out for it.

He sat and meditated for the remainder of the evening, stirring only when Kira did so.

The day passed much as every other, with the only difference being that the topics of conversation going on around them were often about the spectacle between Kira and L. The people spoke of it in tones of excitement, as if it was nothing more than harmless but thrilling entertainment. A real live movie.

Light was disgusted at their attitudes and the fact that they were too damn naïve and stupid to realise the danger that Kira posed. Kira had thus far been targeting criminals only, for reasons that Light knew but everyone else didn�t. Didn�t these people see that Kira could turn on them at any moment?

Kira glanced slyly at Light from the corner of its eye, grinning smugly at the teen without being overly obvious about it. Light simply continued to ignore his double, justifiably annoyed at it. They did not speak even as they returned to his room, Light moving to stand by the window while Kira took up its place at the computer. The two continued to disregard each other�s presence, though it could be said that Kira had the better end of it. At least the doppelganger had something to distract it with, mainly the computer.

A knock sounded at the door, the handle rattling before Sayu bounced into the room. She paused in the middle of the room and turned puppy-dog eyes to her �brother�.

"Light, will you help me with my homework?"

Kira blinked at the girl before slowly nodding.

"Uh, sure."

The doppelganger moved over and stood to make space for his �sister�, who plopped down heavily on the chair with a big and dramatic sigh.

"We�re doing quadratic equations and I�m the only one who doesn�t get this stuff."

Light watched, bored, from his corner of the room as his double proceeded to help the girl with an intelligence that was borrowed. Things passed like this for a half-hour, Light noticing the distant look in his sister�s eyes. He doubted she was truly taking in any of the instruction, and was merely making affirmative sounds whenever Kira asked if she understood. Light knew the look well; he had put up with it for years. Sayu was a bright enough kid, but like many her age, her priorities were centred on other things.

The doorbell rang downstairs, Sayu jumping up and skipping out of the room before Light could blink twice. Her voice floated back to them as she descended the stairs.

"Dad must have come back early!"

Light felt a fond smile tugging at his lips, but he quelled the urge before it could form. Kira stood slowly and both males followed Sayu at a slower pace, in time to hear Light�s mother call them down for dinner.

Yagami Soichiro was removing his shoes when the doppelganger and its ghostly friend descended to stairs.

"You�re back."

Light watched somewhat forlornly as the family ate dinner, reminded once more of the lack in his current state of existence. He could not eat, could not taste nor smell. His world had been narrowed down to two senses only � hearing and sight. The senses of smell and taste had never seemed that important to Light, but now that he was free of them, his existence felt that much emptier.

Light examined his family, feeling very much like the outsider. His sister was carefree and energetic, cheerfully giving an account of her day while staying clear of topics such as school and her grades. His mother was beaming at her children, motherly pride etched into her face and glazed in a healthy, natural glow. His father looked tired and worn as if the world weighed heavily on his shoulders. Though Soichiro made polite conversation, his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Light frowned at this, a twinge of childish resentment filling him. Yagami Soichiro lived for his work, was consumed by it. Even on nights like these, when the man was able to sit down and have dinner with his family, work remained foremost in his mind. Light had long ago learned to accept that it was but one of the sacrifices that had to be made in the name of justice, but sometimes Light could not help being angry at his father's absence.

Kira seemed also to notice Soichiro�s absence of mind and, pretending to be the good and concerned son that he was, enquired as to his father�s health.

"Hmm. I am tired. I�ve been working on a tough case - it�s like trying to catch a ghost. The man in charge of the investigation has suggested that our suspect is a student, the theory based on the times of the victim�s deaths�"

Sachiko�s voice cut through the conversation, sounding somewhat tense and imploring.

"Please, let�s not talk about this over dinner."

Soichiro turned to face his wife, taking in her earnest face and nodding.

"I have had Light�s input on cases before, but we shall leave the discussion for later."

"Thank you"

Needing time to think on what his father had revealed, Light made his way to his room and was closely followed by Kira only a few minutes later. Once both were in the room and safely out of earshot, they turned to each other. Kira shrugged nonchalantly at Light�s unvoiced accusation.

"I suppose I have been giving it away with my actions."

"Giving it away? L now knows that there is a student in Kanto, Japan with the power to kill people without being there in person. You just eliminated a thousands of suspects! At this rate, we�ll be caught soon!"

Again, Kira simply shrugged, seemingly unperturbed, before turning sharp eyes on the teen.

"So what? You want me to kill people during school as well? To kill as I do takes a lot of concentration, making it near impossible to multitask in the process. I have noticed, Light, that your teachers all watch you very carefully in and outside of class. Their reputation, and the school's, much depends on your continued excellence. They would notice if you were growing increasingly absentminded, during those times that I am killing, and would most certainly begin kicking up a fuss should such behaviour continue. Yes, L knows, or at least suspects, that a student is behind these attacks and will probably gain approval from the school�s administrative offices to monitor all students. Any strange and inconsistent behaviour will be noted and reported, yours especially. Judging by L�s intelligence as proven thus far, he would probably be able to tie in the time of the victim�s death during these �breaks in concentration�."

Kira walked over to the bed and threw itself on it, stretching out leisurely before relaxing and closing its eyes.

"L�s involvement has made this situation a lot more interesting, don�t you agree, Light? If L had not shown up, I would probably have grown bored of killing by now. It is fun for only so long, to kill without any kind of obstacle."

Light sneered at the creature, disgusted at its seemingly careless attitude to human life, and its excuse for continuing to take it.

"I want to meet L."

Light looked at the doppelganger in horrified surprise. Surely the creature was joking? His expression slipped back into a blank mask as he considered what Kira had said more clearly. If L truly was as smart as he or she seemed, then it was very probable that they would figure out that �Light� was Kira. Then again, L might not. The risk was great, but perhaps Light could use whatever suspicions would take root and lead it into a direction that was beneficial to him and his predicament.

If folklore and suspicion were correct, Light might be able to affect the physical to a certain extent, much like a poltergeist. He would work on figuring out the limits of his current existence, preferably during the night when Kira was asleep.

Meeting L would be a very great risk, but it may just be the key to Lights freedom, if he played his cards right

"So, I suppose you are going to issue a direct challenge to L then?"

Kira turned his head to look at Light, a malicious grin shaping his mouth.

"Yes, and I have it planned out already."

�

"L, we have just received a call concerning the suspicious death of a teacher at Daikoku Private Academy. Akamatsu Keita died of a heart attack shortly after writing a message on the board. I am sending you the photos of the crime scene now."

-L-

-Do you know?-

-A poltergeist bleeds red-

TBC

Review!

AN: It is a short chapter and I apologise for the delay, some things can�t be helped however. Again, I thank all those who have taken the time to review, you�re comments are very much appreciated. I�ll be working on the next chapter for �The Devils Mirror� next, for those of you who are following that story, so look out for it soon!
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A Doppelganger\'s Bet