(no subject)
(Day 1)
L refuses to let Light go.
Despite all the evidence clearing him and Misa, despite all the protests from his father, Matsuda, and the others, when the time actually comes to remove the handcuffs, L balks.
Light’s brilliant plan, thought through at every step of the journey, hinges on all his knowledge of L. Light knows what L has to do if he is faced with hard evidence acquitting him. L is too logical to do anything else.
But L refuses to remove the handcuffs.
“I know there is a second Death Note,” he says, chewing the edge of his thumbnail ragged, “Which means that until we have established the location and owner of the second notebook, I can’t confirm the reaper’s assertion that the rules for one Death Note apply to the others.”
Light clenches his fist reflexively, then forces it back open. He can’t tell if L noticed. L himself is concentrating on the Death Note, underlining with a narrow index finger the back page of rules.
“We know there have been three Kiras in existence,” he says. “A fourth Kira - or one of the first three - still remains. We don’t know the number of Death Notes in existence, but we do know that Kiras can exist simultaneously. All of this means that the chance of variation and error in my predictions has now risen exponentially per number of notebooks. I can no longer afford to err until I have all facts at my disposal unless the error is on the side of caution.” He glances briefly down at the handcuffs, then back up at Light. “I’m sorry,” he says.
Light has to squeeze his eyes so tightly to keep his rage from showing on his face that he gives himself a headache. When he finally dares to open them and glare across the room at L, he is dizzy, and his fingernails are digging into his palms inside his clenched fists.
“So what you’re saying,” he says bitterly, “is that even now, when we’ve caught Kira and proven that neither I nor Misa could have used the Death Note, you’re not willing to trust me?”
L’s eyes narrow a fraction, and for a flash of a moment Light has the sensation of being seen right through. Some hidden memory makes him stifle a shiver of protest. L is his friend - he should trust him for that reason alone. But -
No. He is Kira, and he is going to kill the man across from him. He’s going to be there when he dies. There is no room inside him anymore for Yagami Light, for his memories of that other, weaker self. He refuses to remember.
He glowers at L.
“So far the proof we have applies only to this particular notebook,” L says. “I have no choice but to continue to consider the possibility that at some point you or Misa, or both of you, came into possession of another notebook.”
Uncertainty wars with sympathy on L’s face as he looks at Light, and Light is so furious that he snaps, “I thought you were committed to justice - if so, then you wouldn’t continue to hold a man custody after he’s been proven to be innocent!” He doesn’t know whether he feels a deeper sense of disgust or betrayal: for a man as deeply logical as L to throw logic out the window when faced with the clear evidence Light has so neatly provided for him is as insulting to Light’s intelligence as it is to his estimation of L’s.
If he has to factor a new understanding of L’s profound stupidity into his calculations from here on out, Light thinks, he may never be able to regain his freedom.
There is a storm of protest from everyone. In another mood, Light might be touched by his father’s concern for him, but all he can really focus on is controlling his rage - suppressing the urge to take L’s face between his hands and crush. But L continues as if the outburst had never taken place.
“When I asked you to imagine yourself as the first Kira, Raito-kun, you told me that if you were separated from the Death Note it would be by your own choice.” L looks him over contemplatively, and Light stills his expression into one that hopefully appears far less lethal than he feels.
“Yes,” he says roughly. “Of course I would think that way if I were pretending to imagine myself as Kira. But - ”
“-The fact that you and Misa met in Aoyama coincides with Misa’s statement that she exchanged notebooks with a friend. This provides logical support for the two of you being the first and second Kiras simultaneously, while verifying your identities using the reapers the second Kira spoke of - Rem and the reaper who is most likely currently with the second notebook.”
“But Rem has already confirmed that the rules for each of the notebooks are the same,” Matsuda interjects. “They’d both be dead by now if they were each Kira.”
“Rem,” says L quietly. He speaks patiently, but it seems to Light as though he is carefully gathering motivation with every word. “You can’t tell certain truths about the Death Notes to anyone except the owners, is that correct?”
“Yes,” Rem replies.
“Then there’s no reason to assume that you can’t lie, either,” he says. “Thank you.”
Light feels the blood draining out of his face.
“Raito-kun,” L says. “You and Misa-san were primary suspects before the appearance of the third Kira, yes?”
“Yes,” says Light.
“Yet the overwhelming evidence in your favor was always the inability to determine how Kira killed or where and when Kira determined the method of killing. Deaths continued after you were imprisoned, so only two rational conclusions could be reached: either neither of you were Kira, or Kira possessed a way of killing without needing to be near the murder weapon, which we now know is the Death Note.”
Light freezes. If L is determined to distrust the Death Note rules, then he will surely come to the conclusion that either the Death Notes or the rules themselves can be manipulated. If he extends that logic to the idea that the reapers can be manipulated too, then he will win.
L will win. It will all be over - just like that.
“But neither Misa nor I have ever seen the Death Note before,” he replies, calm as ever.
“As you have stated. But isn’t it interesting that the rule about being out of contact with the note for over thirteen days is exactly the evidence we need to clear both you and Misa-san?”
At this Light’s father breaks in heatedly. “You can’t disregard evidence just because it doesn’t support your theory!”
“Not at all, Yagami-san,” says L, eyes widening as he looks back and forth from father to son. “All the rules thus far except for the final two rules written in the book match up with the hypothesis that your son is the first Kira and Misa the second. The final rule clears you of the ability to use the Death Note when it is out of your hands.”
“What do you mean?” Light can’t quite keep the shrill sound out of his voice. He knows everyone else in the room thinks his freak-out is due to facing an obsessive detective who won’t acknowledge obvious facts. Because everyone else is playing along, unlike L.
He locks his jaw and compresses his emotion as much as he can. Ryuuzaki needs to die. Light needs him to die, and soon.
“In the security tapes from the train,” L continues, sitting up straighter and straighter in his chair, “the day Raye Penbar was killed, he had to have been in contact with Kira in order for the first Kira, who could not kill with just a face, to obtain the names of the other eleven FBI agents. But no notebook was ever found on him, and no notebook appeared in the security cameras. He was riding the train as the others died. The first Kira had to have gotten the names from Penbar.”
Light bites the inside of his lip and focuses on the wonderful needling sensation of pain there to distract himself from the dawning understanding in L’s saucer-plate eyes.
“What if Penbar never delivered the names to Kira?” L says. He points with a crooked finger at the Death Note. “What if Kira delivered the Death Note to Penbar?”
Everyone stares at him.
“Not all of it - but just a page.”
Light forces himself to speak. “Right,” he says. “If the rule about defacing the Death Note is false, then Kira could have presented Penbar with a page of the note that he’d removed, and ordered him to simply write down the names.”
L fixes him with his stare. “If this theory is correct, Raito-kun,” he says solemnly, “Then it explains the method for the murder of Raye Penbar and the other twelve. And it also means that the final rule of the Death Note, which states that the Death Note cannot be defaced in any way, is false.”
“That doesn’t explain why the rule was falsified to begin with, however,” Light responds carefully. “And if the rule is true, no attempt can be made to test it, because every one of us in here will die.”
“Exactly,” L agrees. “It is a foolproof rule, and the logic is irrefutable.”
Finally, Light almost snaps.
“Which means whoever falsified it needed to protect the Death Note itself at any cost,” L continues.
Light comes perilously close to sending L a glare murderous enough to give him away on the spot. Instead he settles for glancing at Misa, who is studying L as if what he is saying is interesting - as if she’s on his side. Girls are useless, he thinks. He needs to get her to dig up the Death Note. That’s how this is supposed to go - except that his plan depends on his knowledge of L…
He has to play along. Give nothing away.
“The destruction of the Death Note could mean that the owner of the Death Note suffers somehow as well,” says L. “If that’s the case, then the owner would take pains to ensure its survival.” He chews his finger. “I think it equally likely, however, that the rule serves to obscure the modus operandi for the first Kira, who murdered Raye Penbar. In all probability the penultimate rule, as well, was written by someone attempting to provide an alibi for the two Kiras under suspicion during the time they were without the two Death Notes.”
Slowly, Light nods. His heart is racing. If he doesn’t get out of these handcuffs, Misa doesn’t dig up the Death Note. She won’t be able to make the trade for the eyes - she won’t be threatened at all. If Rem doesn’t think Misa’s life is threatened Light will have no power over her actions - no way to manipulate her, or even Misa.
No way at all.
“This, unfortunately, means that I cannot justifiably release you or Misa-san at this time.”
Fuck.
“I apologize, Raito-kun.”
He says Light’s name like he actually is sorry.
He has no idea what he ought to be sorriest for.
“But all this is conjecture,” says Matsuda tiredly. “Based on whether or not you believe the reaper - er, Rem - is telling the truth.”
“As to that,” L says. “My calculations are roughly at 90% that the rules are false.”
And he rips a page out of the Death Note.
Light actually screams in rage, but he is drowned out by the horrified outbursts all around him.
“Everyone,” says L when the alarm has subsided. “I apologize.”
“I thought you were erring on the side of caution!” Light hisses.
“Oh.” L blinks. “There must naturally sometimes be exceptions.”
No one speaks. No one even breathes.
More importantly, no one dies.
(Day 2.)