002. Second Kill - Video

[killswithapen]

[Through some small consequence Light has come to believe that nobody from his own 'memories' are here. Still, that hasn't changed the fact that he's been cautious up until now, hiding his face and finding a job so that he can conceal his Death Note in a nice safe place. Yes, he's only working at a tiny bar in the red light district, but it's a job

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[Action - until otherwise specified]

[sugarforteatime]

[It had been a few days, longer than he might have otherwise liked to wait, but he knew that he couldn't enter into this confrontation without every possible advantage. The information he'd gotten from Big Boss, Mello and Matt had been more than helpful, but he knew that every moment he delayed was another he would be unable to keep Light guessing. He headed to the bar without delay - L was able to recognize it from his own hunt for a job - and then walked in, cutting through the mass of gyrating bodies with ease and then climbed up onto one of the bar stools.]

Light-kun! What would your father say?

[Simple, direct, he smiled, watching Light for his response.]

[killswithapen]

[Light was sitting at the bar turning a glass of water slowly around and around in front of him. It was getting livelier as the evening progressed, but it was still...quiet. Quiet enough that L's entrance and his voice caught his attention sharply.

No.

No, that's impossible.

If there was any shock in his eyes it could only be read as shock at seeing him here at all. L. But he was dead. L was dead. And this place...it didn't bring back people he knew; hadn't. Had it? Except L was right there in the flesh, and there was no questioning that.]

Ryuzaki! What are you doing here?

[Oh, there was so much more to this; so much more to the sparks of scheming and confused plan making that leapt to mind, and the Death Note wasn't safe, and wouldn't be safe. L was here. Wasn't dead. Was calling him 'Light-kun' and asking about his father and coming up to him so boldly without even his mask. Oh, he'd known Light was here; known and this was intended to shake him up. Well it was working.]

[sugarforteatime]

[There was barely any shock in Yagami's eyes. Still as controlled and measured as ever, although L shouldn't have been surprised. He was playing a difficult game, but he still had an advantage while Light was alone and new. L did not have much experience here in Boston, but he knew the territory slightly better than Yagami and he could ride on that for the moment. He also had allies, ones that Light would never know.]

Oh. [So casual, he poked the bar, not enjoying the thoughts about what made it sticky.] I simply saw you were here and decided to come, Light-kun, after all, having a friend such as yourself here in Boston seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.

[killswithapen]

[There was no denying it. The moment L was there, Light's attention on the rest of the room simply evaporated away. There was a man further down the bar waiting to order a drink, but his eyes were on L, following him as he moved close and prodded at the bar itself.]

That's very bold of you, isn't it? But you're right... I think my father would be horrified to see me working in a place like this, but at least I'm selling drinks and not anything else, right?

[It sounded very heavy and awkward on his tongue, and Light immediately regretted saying it.]

I can't tell you how good it is to see you. I thought I was the only one.

[sugarforteatime]

Bold? Bold would be ordering drinks here, Light-kun. [For any number of reasons. The clientele, of course, and just the chance of letting Light-kun possibly slip him something. He was not that bold. Calculated risks were risks, but they were carefully predetermined and weighed. He gave Yagami another of his strange, awkward smiles. He had a feeling he would be practicing them often. They were friends, of course, back home, that meant behaving a certain way.] But you are right, I think Chief Yagami would dislike that even more. He is not a man blind to the practicalities of a difficult situation, however.

It is good to see you, as well, Light-kun. [After all, there was no one else L thought more capable of assisting him in getting out of here, even though he would have preferred Light without his ... baggage.] Perhaps my presence will give you certainty that your true life was not all just a hallucination?

[killswithapen]

There's a reason why I haven't offered you a drink, but you're welcome to come round here and get one yourself if you don't trust me. I'm not going to poison you, though. Just think about it for a second--why would I do that?

[Kira or not, killing L in such a way would be an insult...to both of them.]

I could have found a job in retail, but this keeps me well away from most sources of radiation, and I deeply prefer that.

[Light takes a sip from his glass of water and sets it aside.]

I know my life isn't a hallucination. Why would I hallucinate someone accusing me of murdering all those people? It doesn't make any sense.

[sugarforteatime]

[He pulled a candy out of his pocket and started to unwrap it, wishing it was something that actually tasted good, but he could settle for the sweetness it provided, now. He popped it in his mouth, and then began speaking around the candy, mouth half full.]

I was more concerned for whatever strange afflictions you might be exposed to through an inopportune cut. Of course you would not poison me, Light-kun, we are friends, and since we are friends, if you were going to kill me, it would be through the efforts of your mind, not the body. I like it. It is not crude.

[Generally, back home, when someone was idiot enough to proclaim themselves 'L' their end was swift and merciless at the hands of some criminal organization or another, seeking to rid themselves of their main antagonist. L made a project of solving these cases, although they were not usually difficult, because it created the question of if the L had been an intended decoy, casually used by L. That made people cautious of him.Perhaps, if you were hallucinating, I am just a

[killswithapen]

But as we're friends you should know I'm not going to kill you. Still, if you do want a drink there's some sugar-cane liqueur here that is so sweet it makes your teeth rot just by looking at it.

[Light glanced down the bar, then glanced quickly back at L, ignoring the customer in favour of the..request. It was a request, wasn't it? Help L to get home. Well, that would only turn him into Light's hands, wouldn't it? Death... Did L know that was what he was going back to?]

Let me think about that for a minute, Ryuzaki.

[Moving out of reach and further along the bar, Light takes the stranger's order, prepares it for him and takes the man's money - it takes about a minute exactly, and he comes back maybe three seconds late. As for the proposal, it was enough to catch his interest; Light too wanted to go home. He had won, and it was time to reap the rewards that his hard work and effort had sewn.]

What is it you want me to do exactly?

[sugarforteatime]

[He waited, patiently, he was more than willing to wait. He watched Light as he worked, the boy didn't give anything away, and L had always admired that. Perhaps he didn't quite yet realize how much he sometimes gave away with his iron willed resolve to show nothing. No one expected appropriate emotional reactions from someone who looked like L. He was uninterested in the liqueur. He did not drink because of the unpredictable effects on his mental function.]

I will pass on the liqueur, Light-kun.

[As to what he wanted to move Light towards ... that was the trick. He didn't know where the dangerous landmines that Light might be able to take advantage of were, he had no need to learn about the function of the Death Note, all he needed now was proof for the police...]

I am curiously quite curious about the Sanctimonia that has been passing advertisements around. I am also interested in the government in general. I think that is where we will find our answers on how this illusion has been accomplished.

[His own thoughts were that

[killswithapen]

[Light goes about his work quietly, working as though he doesn't notice that there's no back to his client's costume. He's methodical and quick, but one eye remains on L the whole time, knowing that he's being watched; watching in turn.

Why didn't he announce himself before? To catch him off guard, of course. To see what the level of their friendship was, perhaps, or to see when Light was from without asking.

There was no way he could know about his death, was there? Had they come from the same moment, looking into each other's eyes? If so, why wasn't L dead?

He had to be careful. This was no time for careless mistakes.]

In the government? I don't know whether you noticed, but I'm serving drinks, not subpoenas. How am I supposed to investigate the government?

[sugarforteatime]

That is a very limited way of seeing it.

[He leaned on his hand looking across the bar, still curious about this man across from him who would become his friend.]

Just because you are without an immediate access to so much important and classified police information is no reason to be unable to begin to determine things. You are interested in law, you could be a clerk, an administrator ... anything of the sort. You have simply chosen this instead.

[L, of course, had picked his job carefully for being able to run away and hide, able to change easily. He now knew he would need to make accommodations for if and when the girl that Big Boss had warned him about arrived.]

Why is that? Why have you chosen this, Light-kun?

[killswithapen]

[Light - customerless but for L - settled to quietly watch him across the bar, not hiding his interest at all. It would be a transparent lie if he did, and not fit well into the 'friends reunited' aspect of this meeting, no matter how out of his comfort zone he had been thrown.

Why had he chosen this job? To hide. He hadn't expected anyone he knew, least of all L himself.]

I needed to get a job, and I didn't want to risk trying to charm my way into anything more official without knowing the place a little better. This was the fastest way of getting to know people, and it pays well enough to keep me out of the hostel.

You aren't staying there, are you?

[sugarforteatime]

The hostel does create its own set of oddities and confusions. I have chosen not to live there.

[L had never even set foot in the hostel, it had sounded like a remarkably bad idea, and he had spent his first night in Boston in a semi-abandoned building and then his next gambling with the little money he had to earn more. He knew from the first second he had gotten here that all of his steps needed to be deliberate. He was moving fast to unsettle Light, but even that was its own wisdom]

It is certainly the job of the moment, but it would be best for you to consider your potential, Light-kun. We must take the opportunity to investigate directly.

[killswithapen]

Well, there you go then. I didn't want to be there much either. It made me feel as though I was homeless; that I had no place here.

[Light hadn't enjoyed the ambiance much at all, and the screaming at night...]

Consider my potential? [Was L really pushing him to move into a higher position of power? It was an interesting proposal, as it was much as Light himself had intended in the first place, but to be urged by L himself was something of a surprise.] I'm sure I can manage something like that.

[sugarforteatime]

[He obviously didn't want Light to get higher than L could reach him, but he knew that of all the people he had access to, Light would be the best for this. Everyone else seemed like crazed psychotic soldiers, terrorists, both or just not suited. For now, he needed Light's smile, of all things. It also might keep him from focusing on killing. L was not particularly hopeful on that front. And, maybe, L's encouragement might help keep Light second guessing himself, that would be ideal.]

Your choices will likely be limited by your status, but that is no reason not to aim high. Positions in city administration, possibly? [He honestly didn't have anything in particular planned, he knew that Light would make his own decision and L would have to follow him closely no matter what.]

[killswithapen]

I can do that.

[Not try. He could do it, there was no doubt at all. If he couldn't get to the top, there were always other ways to find things out, but L was clever to use him for this in a way too. Light could get people to talk, even when they didn't realise they were doing it. A smile. That was all that was necessary.

He used it now.]

What will you be doing?