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The Sugar Cube Fort	By : sashocirrione Category: Death Note > Het-Male/Female Views: 2334 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
CHAPTER 9: BELLS AND FALLING
L was gone. How had this happened during the day? Rem looked around the investigation room. He obviously wasn't here. Why didn't Light watch L better? Rem glanced at Light, and saw that he was looking around a bit nervously too. That meant L hadn't just gone to the bathroom. He must have already been gone longer than that. He could be doing anything, putting in motion some sneaky plan. For that matter, judging from L's conversation with Watari, he was already quite capable of doing a lot of secret things without alerting Light or Rem. If he managed to get away for any substantial amount of time, he might be able to pull off something really big.
Rem took note of Light noticing her nervous glances around the room, and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Now Light knew Rem was about to look for L, so he wouldn't have to. Rem spread her wings and flung herself sideways through a wall, ready to do a quick search of every floor. Pretty soon, it was obvious L wasn't in the building. Then, the roof? Could I be so lucky?
Sure enough, L was standing on the roof, by himself, in the heaviest kind of pouring rain imaginable. He wasn't actually doing anything, just kind of staring. Rem flew to the place where she'd hidden her stolen cellphone, underneath a big air-conditioning unit, and slipped the thing inside her hand so quickly and carefully the cameras shouldn't catch it. Then she considered how to photograph L. He was standing right next to a big satellite dish. If Rem clung to the other side of that, and just barely sneaked the cellphone over the top edge, mostly hidden in her hand, she would have a good chance of photographing L. Rem flew over there and got into position. This was it, this was it. As long as L didn't notice what she was really doing, it would work.
Wait, no, this wasn't working. The problem was, in order to take a photograph of someone's face, they had to actually look toward the camera. L's current position, with his head drooping, looking at the ground beneath his feet, it wouldn't do at all. Checking once more to make sure the cellphone was properly positioned, with the lens lined up exactly to the crack between two of her fingers, Rem called out, "Ryuzaki, why are you out here?"
L continued to look at the ground. He said, "I am listening to the bells."
"What?"
L turned to look directly at Rem, then said, "Hardly anyone knows this about me, but I've heard faint bells ringing for many years, though the bells are so loud today I'm wondering if they're real, perhaps something off in the distance. I suppose most people would find any recurring sound like that to be terribly annoying, but I find them melodious and often soothing. Many times I forget the bells and kind of tune them out, just like people who live next to train tracks for years and stop hearing the trains. Today, though, the bells seem to stay at the forefront of my mind. I can't concentrate."
What was this? Probably some kind of inner ear problem, or perhaps a brain issue. If L could normally keep it under control, then he was losing his grip. Perhaps he was at last really admitting to himself that his death was probably approaching quite soon, not just as a kind of abstract knowledge, but as a cold, hard truth. L looked so lost, so defeated, like a wet puppy trapped out in the rain.
Wait, no, it wasn't time to be thinking about L, it was time to be acting. Rem pressed the button to take the photo, then slipped behind the satellite dish again. She brought up the photo on the screen. Damn, he looked away at the last moment! So little of the face showed that Rem couldn't see his name or lifespan floating above the photo, which meant Misa wouldn't be able to see it either.
Rem crept up to the edge of the satellite dish. She'd have to try again. Suddenly, she felt very unsure of herself. Once was luck, but could she really pull it off again? He was the world's greatest detective, after all. Remembering how easily L had figured out her eye-through-the-wall trick, how could she have any chance of blatantly taking his photo with a cellphone twice while he was looking directly at the camera lens? As Rem started to position the cellphone carefully within her huge, bony hand, she had a sick, sinking feeling within her. This plan... it was so crazy. And even if she pulled off the feat of photographing L face-on without him noticing, Misa might still refuse to cooperate. And, if L did notice, she'd probably have to kill him on the spot.
Everything was going so very wrong. Rem looked down at L's photo, still displayed on the tiny screen. She had no doubt about it then. If she killed L, directly or indirectly, she would feel very guilty afterwards. It was just another thing wrong with this whole scenario. And, the other plan, killing herself... she could no longer fool herself with the idea that Misa would be happy, or even safe, in Light's hands. Light was a cold-hearted manipulative killer. Light could easily get some other fanatical Kira supporter to take over the killings and trade for the eyes, someone the investigators had never once suspected, and dump Misa. It would probably be the safest plan for him, especially if he kept his own identity hidden from the new Kira.
Stupid, stupid plans. They were always crumbling, flawed. Perhaps it was the curse of misfortune said to follow any death note owner. If that were it, then Misa wouldn't get rid of her ill luck unless she gave up ownership again. Was the supernatural misfortune affecting Light too? He did well most of the time, though perhaps being Kira was the worst thing that could have happened to him, so his luck in not being stopped so far was really a curse in itself.
What to do, what to do? If the camera plan and the suicide plan both had so many problems, then what about the other problematic plans Rem had previously discarded? Perhaps there was a way to keep Light, Misa and L all alive at once, or to pin everything on Light without making Misa suicidally unhappy.
Rem could try to get her way by using threats, but she still couldn't imagine L going along with that, especially since he was quite willing to die and also smart enough to eventually figure out the threats were mostly bluff. Then, there was trying to make a deal with L, which would be incredibly dangerous, but wasn't looking quite as bad since the other plans had soured so much. Besides, there was one advantage with that plan. If L decided to cooperate, he could work out all the details with his high intelligence much better than Rem ever could.
Rem sighed. She hid the cellphone inside a metal box full of wires that was connected to the back of the satellite dish, then phased through the dish to stand next to L. He didn't look up. He was still studying the ground near his shoes. L looked incredibly sodden, as if it simply wasn't possible for him to be any wetter.
Rem said, "Ryuzaki, I think the rain here will drown out our words so the microphones won't pick up our conversation and nobody in headquarters will know what we've said here. I have been holding some things back, but I want to help you now. I'll need some help in return."
L's head snapped up. He looked wary, but there was a bit of hope in his eyes. He said, "What do you want for your side of the deal?"
Rem said, "I can't tell you yet, but when the time comes, I will find a way to let you know."
"Of course," L said, "if you tell me what you want now, and then I'm not cooperative, you'll have given away your position. Well, what can you tell me? Were you lying all those times you said you couldn't tell certain things to humans?"
"There are many things I cannot tell to humans," Rem said, "and this will make it difficult to communicate with you to make this deal. But, I can bend the rules just a bit, and I think you can figure out the rest."
Rem thought hard. She had to tell L just enough, but not too much, and without breaking any rules. First, she wanted to tell him Misa had only seven years to live. If he knew that, he'd be much more willing to let her go, but telling any human lifespan to another human was severely forbidden.
Rem said, "Remember the eye deal? I will tell you a bit more about that. It is something that humans only do if they are desperate or stupid. Those who make the deal do not have very long to live. Especially if they lose the power and end up making the deal twice."
L pondered that information, then he said, "How long would Higuchi have lived after we took him into custody? Or was it the deal that killed him?"
"I am forbidden to tell you the exact amount of time Higuchi had left. But, it was not the deal that killed him."
"Then," said L, "will you tell me the truth about Higuchi's death?"
"I am sure Kira killed him, but I do not know how. From my knowledge of the situation, I would have thought it impossible for Kira to kill him. But, gods of death can tell certain things just by looking. Higuchi was certainly killed by a death note."
"It was a scrap," L said, "but I haven't been able to find that scrap. Probably it has already been destroyed. Do you deny that scraps work?"
Rem stayed silent. This was getting dangerously close to giving away too much without getting anything in return. It was time to get something.
"Ryuzaki," Rem said, "there is a human custom that saving a life creates a large debt. If I save your life, will you owe me something big?"
L said, "It depends. There are favors that would be too big. Also, I would need to know you'd saved my life and not just spared it. If you were planning on killing me and then decided not to if I would join your side, that would be the same as a death threat, and I won't respond to it."
Rem said, "I want to save your life by indicating who Kira is. I cannot tell humans who the owner of a death note is unless you already know, as in Higuchi's case, and as long as you don't know the person's identity I cannot tell you much about the situation either. But I can bend the rules to finger Kira for you."
L sighed unhappily. "If merely knowing who Kira is would solve the case, I would have done so a long time ago. It is not enough to know. There has to be proof. Something that leaves no doubt."
Rem said, "So, indirectly indicating Kira's identity wouldn't be good enough if there was nothing else?"
"No," L said, "not unless actual evidence appeared as a result of that indication. For example, if you are Kira's accomplice and you want to confess but can't do it directly or tell me the full details, then you would need to show me where that evidence exists or give me the tools to find it myself. Otherwise, it might seem as if you are indicating a false culprit to protect the real Kira, especially since you've waited so long without any confession."
L scratched absently at the side of his neck. The small spark of hope in his face was fading. He said, "Rem, is there any clue you can lead me to, or any knowledge you can give me that will truly prove who Kira is?"
Rem thought. Misa was probably the only one with evidence on her, since Light didn't do anything except give occasional orders to Misa, and he did it just at times when he was absolutely sure he couldn't be overheard. Misa's full confession would be enough to convict Light, but Misa would never give it. Rem did not want the investigators to put Misa under surveillance. If the only Kira they caught with actual evidence was Misa, she would bear the brunt of the punishment. It would be very difficult to get her off with a mild punishment then. Rem needed to create a scenario where Light was caught but Misa wasn't, or where both Light and Misa were caught at the same time.
Rem said, "I can't think of any way to get those clues."
"As expected," he said, "Kira has already destroyed all evidence, and will doubtless erase his memories again if cornered. You lied about the memory trick before. Am I right?"
"You are correct."
"Then," L said, "as I already thought, the only way to catch Kira is to force him to do something that will create new evidence, and find that evidence before he destroys it."
That was indeed the ideal plan, the only way to catch Light. If enough of the old evidence was uncovered, such as Rem being tied to Light or the 13-day rule being fake, it would make Light the main suspect again, but it wouldn't prove anything. After all, Light had been the main suspect for a long time and he'd never been convicted. But, with Misa on the loose, L and Rem were both running out of time. According to Ryuk, Light wasn't yet doing anything other than waiting for Rem to kill herself, but if enough time went by, Light would either firmly point the investigation at Misa to turn up the heat on Rem, or he would implement some plan to get cameras past the heavy security. He could control experts to come here and crack the security without getting caught. L would not be able to stop it. Rem thought Light would wait at least two or three days before trying anything, but there was no way to be sure.
But, if L forced Light to create new evidence and then uncovered it, L would have caught Kira on his own, and wouldn't owe Rem a thing. Rem needed to do something like L's plan and then hand over the evidence to L in an obvious way. Then, L would owe her his life and Rem would be able to work something out with him. Then Rem remembered L's conversation with Watari. Light would become sloppy if he thought L wasn't chasing him any more. Also, he was a gloater, and that might be another way to nab him.
L said, "Rem, is there anything else you can think of? It is possible that knowledge you possess could be the key to catching Kira even if you think it is irrelevant. Tell me as much as you possibly can."
Rem searched her brain. Was there any bit of information she hadn't already told L that wouldn't specifically draw him toward Misa? Rem could only think of one thing, and that thing might give L some sympathy for Misa as well.
Rem said, "The eye deal is not the only deal that can exist between a shinigami and a human. There is also the ownership deal. It is possible to use a death note without owning it. However, if you own a death note you are forced to kill once, unless you very quickly die or lose ownership. The human owner is forced into the ownership deal by being the first person to touch an unowned death note. There are serious consequences that go along with the ownership deal, and even if the deal is given up, some of those consequences still linger."
"Can you go into detail?"
Rem said, "Death note owners are under a curse of misfortune; it is very difficult for things to go well for them. They will lose all memories of death notes and of shinigami if they give up ownership. Anyone who has ever used a death note has an unusual fate after they die. Something happens to them that does not happen to other dead humans. Our writings are unclear on the matter, but it does not sound good. Also, when a human is the first human to have ownership of a particular death note, the shinigami attached to that note must watch them die, even if the human gives up ownership. Most shinigami in that situation get bored and kill the human so they don't have to wait. That is all I can think of for now. There are many rules and I never memorized them all."
"So," L said, "if the notebook happened to become unowned while I was touching it, I would be forced into the ownership deal?"
"Yes," Rem said, "but I think that will not happen unless Kira is badly cornered or dies."
"That is good. I would not like to choose between becoming at least a one-time murderer or losing knowledge vital to this case. Not to mention the other unpleasant consequences. So, there is nothing more you can tell me?"
"No. Nothing. Although, if you show Kira that you have greater knowledge about death notes than he thinks you should, it will only endanger you."
L said, "That is a given. I will try to work with what you've told me, but I don't think it will help much. Most of these things I already suspected, or they seem irrelevant for the time being. Also, I still have no way of being sure you're telling the truth now. The only thing of true value I've learned is that you want something, and you are willing to deal for it."
L sank down into a crouch, placed his hands on top of his knees, and looked intently at the gravel of the roof beneath his feet. He said, "What do you want, Rem?"
Rem knew she couldn't ask for Misa to be set free or given a very mild punishment. L had pretty much told Rem that she hadn't given him enough help yet to be in a real position to deal. Letting her true desire slip out now would only ruin things. But, if Rem asked for the right things, she might be able to beat L at his own game and find the evidence before he did. A plan was beginning to form in her mind. It wasn't a very good plan, but at least it would give her a chance, and Light wouldn't be expecting it at all.
Rem said, "I want sand."
L looked as bewildered as Rem had ever seen him. His wide, dark eyes were swimming with half-formed questions that seemed unable to complete themselves. He shot her a quizzical glance and slowly repeated, "You want sand?"
Even his mouth moved strangely as he said the words, as if they were foreign to him.
"Yes," Rem said, "I want a small pile of sand, and I want it to be completely private sand. Bring it in secretly, and put it on the floor in a room where the cameras will be shut off from then on. It can even be a tiny room, such as a closet, as long as nobody except myself, you and Watari knows about my sand. It is best if it is a room I can get into quickly from the main room where everyone spends most of their time."
L shook his head as if trying to clear his brain of fog. "What is this about, Rem?"
"I cannot tell you. But, if you want me to save your life, you would do well to get me this sand."
L stood up and pulled a cellphone from his pocket. Delicately holding it between two fingers, he began conversing with Watari about the secret sand and just how to place it in a small equipment room sharing a wall with the main investigation room. When all the details had been worked out, L put the cellphone back in his pocket and once more began gazing into the rain. He looked despondent, defeated. He did not look at Rem again.
Rem spread her wings and plunged straight down, going past flashes of walls and ceilings. Wait, what was that? Rem paused and circled back. Yes, it was Light, at a level above all the occupied floors. He must be looking for L. Rem said, "Ryuzaki is on the roof."
Light looked at Rem as if he really didn't want her to speak to him, then made his way to the elevators. Rem lingered a bit, and then decided she may as well see if she could gather any information. Going off to the side from all the main hallways, Rem phased upward through never-used rooms, at last coming out where a jumble of rooftop equipment could hide her well. She poked an eye just barely through.
L was standing in the same place and same position as before. In a few moments, Light came to the rooftop entrance and stood under the overhang, yelling questions at L. L either couldn't hear or was just pretending, because he kept cupping his hand to his ear until Light came out to stand next to him.
Then they had a little conversation about "the bells" which Light seemed to find completely nonsensical. L did not elaborate for Light the way he had for Rem. Perhaps he didn't want to let Light in on that private part of himself, or he delighted in causing confusion for his genius rival. If he was delighted, his pleasure was very short-lived. He looked sad, wistful, as if he expected to die any moment and hadn't had enough of life.
Next, the topic changed to lies and accusations, and L seemed as if he were making one last desperate attempt to convince Light to confess, but Light countered it with a haughty little speech. A kind of acceptance settled over L's features, and he followed Light inside.
Rem moved to secretly follow them. If L noticed Rem's eye sticking through the ceiling as they made their way through the rooftop entrance's security checkpoints, he paid no attention. As soon as they were fully inside, L went to a linen closet, bringing out towels. Light sat down to dry himself on a big staircase, and soon L came along and tried to dry Light. The man's social awkwardness was quite apparent. But his intense, almost worshipful eyes looked up at Light and he insisted, almost begging Light to cooperate with the toweling and a foot massage. For a second, Light looked as if he were going to roll his eyes and give L a kick to dislodge him from his foot, but then he gave in.
Perhaps it was because L was just so earnest. His voice, his face, his body language, they radiated nothing except friendship and acceptance. Despite the awkwardness of it all, Light became caught up in the moment and started drying L as well, running a towel along L's forehead gently to sop the water away from his dripping hair. L was all full of "thank yous" and "I'm sorrys" as he continued deftly rubbing Light's feet, his fingers sure and precise, as if he'd had some kind of training in massage. Light calmed under L's touch and his features changed too, becoming angelic, drowsy with bliss, until Rem saw nothing of the manipulative bastard she knew; she only saw a teenage boy sharing pleasure with a good friend. There was, indeed, something profound between these two. Rem could sense the bond.
What was happening? Was this a last-ditch attempt by L to convince Light to not kill him? Perhaps he thought that if he emphasized the friendship portion of their relationship, Light would feel guilty and spare him, or maybe he thought that Light would feel guilty after his death and be more likely to slip up. Or maybe, L was paying his respects before his death, acknowledging Kira as a worthy rival and as someone he would gracefully bow to if he lost. Or, it could be much simpler. L just wanted to experience good times before he died, and he was willing to overlook Light being Kira in order to drown himself in the pleasures of friendship and forget his approaching death.
The massage seemed to take a long time. Maybe half an hour or forty-five minutes. L did both feet rather thoroughly, and the calves too. Right toward the end, L looked up at Light with a happy, serene look. He said, "It will be lonely, won't it?"
Light mumbled, "Hmmmmm?"
L's serene expression gave way to one that was just slightly pitiful, but also accepting of his fate. He said, "We'll be parting ways soon."
Light said nothing, but he looked angry. The evil came back into Light's face, but L didn't change his demeanor at all. He kept rubbing, happy and a bit wistful, still looking up at his enemy with loving eyes. He must have seen the change in Light's expression, the murderous intent in Light's eyes, but he didn't acknowledge it. Then L's cellphone was ringing. He talked momentarily with whoever it was, then put his phone away, and in the most calm voice ever, he said, "Come on. Let's go, Light. It seems like it all worked out."
L walked away without looking back at Light, and Light followed him obediently, as if the two of them were still connected by a six-foot chain. In this fashion, they made their way to an elevator, stopping in L's room. Light waited wordlessly while L peeled off his damp clothing and threw on a dry set. Then the two went to Light's room and Light did the same thing, except he got different shoes. Both of them already had dry hair. Then they got on the elevator again, both still silent and acting as if they were somehow attached to each other. Rem was sure they were going to the main investigation room, so she just took a short cut through walls and floors. She had a quick peek into her private room, and saw that her sand had already been delivered, and the power indicator lights on the cameras in that room were all dead, turned off.
Then Rem came into the main investigation room and waited. The investigators were in an uproar. Watari had told them something big was about to happen, but he wasn't saying much. He had said the death note would be used and that Ryuzaki would explain the full details when he came. Still, that didn't stop the rest of the investigators from asking questions and arguing among themselves. Then the elevator doors opened onto the room and L walked out, Light still following in the same manner as before. Rem could almost see the chain that did not connect them.
Matsuda turned to L with a pleading expression and said, "Ryuzaki, what's the meaning of all this? You've somehow gotten approval from another country to use the notebook for an execution?"
L did not reply. He stepped into his usual chair, crouching, and Light stepped into place right behind L's chair. Watari's symbol was on the monitor directly in front of L. L said, "Watari, excellent work. Thank you. First things first. Please make arrangements to transport the notebook immediately."
Light said, "Ryuzaki, what are you trying to do?"
L picked up a spoon that was lying next to the coffee cup in front of him, tapped the death note with it, and said, "I'm going to try out the notebook for real."
Everyone else gasped. Aizawa immediately slammed his hands to the counter near L and shouted, "We can't do that, and there's no point in testing it now because we already know the notebook's power is real."
"And besides," Matsuda asked, "who's going to write the name? If someone starts writing in the notebook, they'll have to obey the 13-day rule and keep writing names forever."
In a very calm voice, L replied, "It's already been worked out. The person who will write in the notebook is a criminal scheduled to be executed in just over 13 days. If he's still alive 13 days after writing the name, he'll be pardoned from execution."
Soichiro looked very disapproving. He said, "But still, to sacrifice a life..."
L interrupted him, saying, "We're very close. If we work this out, the entire case will be solved."
Suddenly, there was a tremendous crashing sound, and all the lights went out. Less than a second later, the room lit up with dimmer, reddish lights. Matsuda said, "What is this, a black out?"
Rem glanced around the room. It looked like the computers were still working, but the power indicator lights on all the cameras were out. This would make it much easier to implement her plan, and it was also the perfect time because the test of the 13-day rule had just been announced. She walked sideways through a wall into her special room, noting that Light had seen her go. Once there, above her sand, she hesitated for a split second. This would also be the perfect opportunity to implement the suicidal plan, especially since L hadn't yet told anyone she had tried to make a deal. If she didn't kill herself now, she would have to commit to her lame plan of getting evidence on Light before L did.
No. She shook off her doubts and flew as fast as she could to Watari's room. Before he could turn around, she plunged one hand into his neck, pinching off the blood supply to the brain. He started collapsing, letting out loud gasps. Rem saw L's face in a distorted, wide-screen view of the main investigation room on a monitor in front of Watari. He looked very child-like and scared. He said, "Watari?"
Watari continued gasping as Rem pinched arteries inside his neck. Watari could see out through the monitor in front of him, but none of those in the investigation center could see what Rem was doing to the man, nor would they ever see, because the regular video cameras were still offline.
Watari suddenly lunged forward and pressed a button on the back side of his computer keyboard. In that moment, all the monitors in front of him displayed white screens with three words: "All data deletion." Then, Watari finally sank into unconsciousness and fell to the floor. Rem was instantly plunging through walls and floors in a blur, until she had positioned herself exactly underneath the main investigation room. She cautiously stuck an eye up, directly underneath L's chair. Yes, she'd found the right place precisely. She would be able to reach right up through the central support of the chair with her phased-out arm, hiding her movements perfectly, but, no, her arm wasn't long enough to reach L's neck unless she brought enough of her body up through the floor that someone might notice her, especially Light who was standing right behind L. She needed a way to get L onto the floor.
Just then, L was telling everyone to look for the shinigami and they were making various exclamations, looking in every direction except down. In any case, the chair would completely block their view of Rem unless they bent over, and even then they'd have to look very hard since she was incorporeal and mostly overlapped with the chair and floor. The investigators stopped looking around and Aizawa said, "It disappeared! It's gone!"
L said, "Everyone, the shinigam..."
And at that very moment, he stopped because just then Rem had reached up and given his prostate gland a little squeeze. L's body was no longer under his control, and he was falling, twitching, the spoon he had held falling alongside him. Rem withdrew her arm quickly, hiding every part of her except her eye, keeping even that well under the chair. Light flew past, catching L, lowering him gently, keeping L's head from smacking into the floor. L was still spasming, jerking, helpless and speechless in the throes of his orgasm. His arms snaked up alongside Light's arms, loosely embracing the man above him. Then Light angled his face carefully away from the other investigators and smiled at the man in his arms, an evil smile radiating triumph. Rem moved quickly, reaching up into L's neck from the floor directly below it and pinching off the blood flow to his brain. A few moments later, she felt L's body go entirely limp. Then she retreated to her observing place under the chair.
Light shook L's limp form a couple of times, but there was no response. Then he started screaming, telling everyone else that they were all going to die next. Next, he let Aizawa take over holding L's body and ran from the room, screaming out, "Damn you! Where are you, shinigami? Come out! You know something about this, don't you?"
Rem was sure she knew just where Light was going, so she ducked completely under the floor, moved quickly into place and positioned her eye carefully in the equipment room that held her secret sand. In a few moments, the door came open, and Light was standing there, holding a keycard he had used on the door. He looked very pleased to see the pile of sand. He ran over to it and began digging through it. Nothing. Rem belatedly realized that she should have asked L for a fake death note resembling her own, because then they would have found it on Light if Rem just asked them to search him. She couldn't use her real one because any shinigami who broke that rule, purposely giving a human your last death note, would die. It sometimes happened by accident, but only those shinigami with two or more death notes could purposely drop notes for humans.
Light hissed and continued digging. He whispered to himself, "Where is it? That bitch!"
Finally, Light stood up, brushed the sand from his clothing and called out, "There's something here."
In a few moments, Soichiro and Matsuda rushed into the room, gaping in puzzlement at the sand on the floor. Soichiro said, "What the hell is this stuff?"
Matsuda replied, "Sand?"
Light composed himself as if for a speech, his head held high, his chest puffed out. Then he said, "Whatever this might mean, whatever happens next, I swear I'll avenge Ryuzaki's death. We're going to solve this case, in honor of him. And, for Watari, and all the other victims."
Soichiro got a proud look on his face and said, "Oh, Light."
Matsuda said, "Yeah, but aren't we all going to get killed? Isn't that what all of this really means? Why kill the two of them but leave us alone?"
Light replied, "Matsuda, if you're afraid of dying, then leave the investigation. We put our lives on the line when we chose to be here."
Matsuda gave a nervous little laugh, then said, "Uh, yeah. That's true. But, it's weird hearing you say that. You sound like Ryuzaki."
Just then, Aizawa poked his head through the door and said, "Both of them are still breathing. Mogi and the paramedics are loading them onto the ambulance right now."
Light's face froze for an instant. He looked severely shaken in that brief moment, but then the mask was back in place.
Matsuda said, "Oh, I'm so relieved! Do you think they'll live?"
Soichiro shook his head. "As far as we know, Kira's victims never revive, and I can't believe it was a coincidence both of them had heart attacks at the same time. That is Kira's signature method of death."
"Yes," Light said, "Ryuzaki wouldn't have been spasming like that if he wasn't having a heart attack."
"But," Aizawa said, "right before Ryuzaki collapsed, he was very concerned about the shinigami. Do you think he meant the shinigami killed them?"
Matsuda said, "Rem kills in the same way as Kira, by using a notebook. If she wrote their names down, they won't get better. But, if she intended to kill them, why give them heart attacks they'll survive and then have them die later?"
Soichiro put one hand on Matsuda's shoulder and asked, "You've been assigned to study the shinigami. If Rem did this, why might it be? Will she kill us all?"
"Well," Matsuda said, "Ryuzaki thinks Rem isn't entirely truthful, but she did say she only needs to kill once every few years. Maybe her time was up just now. But, I don't see why she would kill L. I thought she liked him more than anyone else here. It looks like she's hiding now, so maybe she's ashamed of what she did. We'll have to ask her."
Aizawa said, "It still could be Kira. Perhaps Kira has been researching L's identity for a long time and just now found it. If someone managed to find L's identity, probably Watari's identity would be uncovered along with it. If that is true, then Kira doesn't know about any of us and we're safe for now."
"Ah," Matsuda said, "that would be a relief. Then we don't have to worry about either Rem or Kira killing the rest of us right away."
Just then, Mogi entered the room and said, "Both of them regained consciousness. We need to send someone to the hospital since neither of them have identification."
Light's face was starting to lose its composure. One corner of his eye twitched. He whispered, "I don't understand what's happening."
Soichiro said, "You've been very brave, Light. I know this has hit you hard to see your friend like that. None of us understand what is going on, but we'll get it figured out. Perhaps Ryuzaki already has it figured out and he'll tell us soon."
Light said, "No... I... I think we could all still die. If these are my last moments, I need to see Misa."
And with that, Light was running out the door. Matsuda gazed after him and said, "Those two are so in love."
A/N (Author's Note):
I hope you found that a much more enjoyable version of L's death scene.
And, as usual, Matsuda doesn't get it. I often have the impression that Matsuda isn't really that stupid, he just tends to think in simple terms and he tends to believe the best of everyone.
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The Sugar Cube Fort