(M)ale/Death Note Fic/Light--"Overcoming Stress" - (2 Parts)

[PetalsAndThorns]

*Crashes into room panting before bursting into uncontrollable laughter* I did it! I showed you! You said I'd never finish it but I did it! How'd 'ya feel now huh?! 'Cus I finished it and now it's mine! All mine! And finished! Mwahahahahaha! *collapses into crumpled heap*

So, yeah, I finally finished my first chapter of my first story for here and, let's just say I've been trying to get it finished for a little while... ;>.> I kept obsessing over it and editing it to get it right and it still isn't right!

I'm afraid there are only stifles in the first chapter, but there should be more later... I think... For the record, i have no idea in hell where this story is going. One of my biggest problems writing recently has been that I overdevelop everything before writing it and thus lose my motivation to write it down at all, so I'm just going with the flow on this one.

There may be Male/Male content later (For anyone how can't guess, yes it would be Light/L) However I'm not positive that it will or will not happen but it WILL have boy taking care of boy action.

~*~ Piece of information you might actually care about ~*~ ---> In the story there are certain points where I have terms in the character's dialog written in Japanese with an English translation. This is not to flaunt, "Oh look! I know sooooo much Japanese, aren't I cool?" The purpose of doing this is that I've watched the anime of the series and thus my vision of their voices are speaking in Japanese, so slipping in phrases I can hear them saying helps check me back into who the characters are.

By the way, sorry if any of the BB Code got messed up. I added it after writing this so I just hope I got everything right. And I'm just stalling now, so with no further adieu, *drops story and runs of to hide in cave*

Edit - And it's been so long since I've written fic, I forgot the disclaimer. I do not own Light, L, any of the other characters or the wonderful plot of their lives. That's all Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I just torture them

~*~ Chapter 1 ~*~

Light woke, slowly rebooting his mind to only then realize he’d even fallen asleep. He sat up stiffly, hearing the chain rattle as he moved and rotated his shoulder a bit, trying to sooth the sore ache that had arisen after many sleepless nights broken only when he accidentally dozed off, or passed out as the case may be, on the papers he was reading. The chairs that L had set up for them were perfectly comfortable for working in… not so much for living in. Adrenaline from having realized he’d fallen asleep rushed into his tired limbs and he quickly returned to his work, hoping to attract the least amount of attention possible to the fact he’d even slept in the first place. His eyes darted to the lower right hand corner of the screen where the time was displayed.

10 AM, huh? Unfortunately his tired mind had lost track of time before he’d fallen asleep, so this information gave him no more idea of how long he’d slept. He closed his eyes as the light from the screen caused a dull ache to rise in his head. Bringing his hand up to help quell the pain he found it greeted by a severely unwanted warmth in his forehead. Of all the times for him to have a fever, now was the least convenient he’d ever had. He kept his eyes closed until his head stopped hurting then turned back to his work. “Ignore it and it will go away” was never a train of thought he liked to embrace, however he decided he’d make an exception in this case. Once again the light caused a throbbing pain to return to his skull. While he ignored it this time, he turned his attention away from the computer screen to some of the papers on the employees of Yotsuba that they still needed to finish going through. Yotsuba was a huge company. Without anymore leads they had no choice but to look at each employee from the eyes of Kira and judge whether or not that person would seem useful. Even then, the odds that every single person they thought Kira might be interested in would all be in on the operation were slim to none. Still, anything and everything they had or could get was important. Also, the abrupt change in Kira’s behavior, whether caused by a different Kira as L suspected or by something else, left them at a loss for his personality.

His eyes skimmed over the familiar sight of a picture of an average business man with his name and a list of information underneath. This one appeared to be young, probably in his late 20s. His brown hair fell in a far more stylish manner than most of the older members wore theirs and his more gentle eyes spoke of higher innocence. Light liked to make guesses about the suspects from their appearance. It gave him something to do in this tiresome chore. However by the hundredth application, even that wore out and he just wanted to get through the work, even though he knew when he did it would only be replaced by more. Still, he looked down and felt some amount of satisfaction to find his guesses proven right. The man’s name was Komatsu, Satoshi, 29 years old, single, employee of… Light stopped reading there. No matter how lacking in information his knowledge of this new Kira was, he knew for a fact “employees” were not what he was looking for. With a sigh he tossed the paper into the pile of unlikely candidates.

As turn turned to look at the next paper he couldn’t help but sniff softly. Hearing the slightly congested tone only made to worsen his mood. He was fine with the symptoms he could hide and ignore, head ache, fever, chills, the majority of which he could feel slowly kicking in… however a runny nose had to be his least favorite symptom of all. Either you went around blowing your nose constantly, which was not only demeaning and made you look pathetic but was like walking around with a sign pinned to your chest saying “I’m sick”, and Light hated people knowing when he was sick. The alternative was you tried to ignore it and in the end it inevitably messed with your speech which was almost as demeaning as the first option. No matter how you dealt with it, once it came there was no hiding from those around you. Of course, in the past he’d usually manage to mask it somehow, being a genius didn’t come without perks. However, he felt that would be impossible this time. The thing about being chained to someone was that it was extremely hard to hide anything from them. Especially when that person happened to be watching you 24/7 to make sure you weren’t behaving suspiciously. Not only that, but there were security cameras set up in every single room. In short, there was absolutely nowhere he could go in privacy and no way he could try to find a way to be in privacy without seeming suspicious at which point he’d have to explain why he’d wanted to be in privacy in the first place. Yes, a runny nose had to be his least favorite thing in the world… Light’s train of thought broke off as he felt a light irritation take seed in his nose. He gave a sniff and scrunched up his nose in an attempt to impede the tickle’s unwavering course. Despite his efforts the irritation lingered, unfazed. He continued covering the papers, hoping the itch would die down, though even if it wouldn’t there wasn’t much he could do. If you didn’t want to draw attention to yourself it was in the end better to just get it over with than to sit holding back for five minutes.

Yamada, Toru, Light read, 32 years old… he could tell by now that the tickle wasn’t going to go away. Married, no children… his nose twitched as the tickle slowly mounted into a burning in his nose, preparing to turn away he waited, but still his breath didn’t hitch… Supervisor of General Funding… Light was dying to rub his nose but for fear of attracting attention he suppressed the urge… Went to Tokyo… Light’s thoughts trailed off as his head snapped to the side. His breath finally hitched and quickly he clamped his nose shut…

“Huh… Ch!…unnnhh…”

He managed to stifle almost silently. Quickly he turned back to his work, ignoring the still burning itch in his nose, hoping against hope that his tuition would be wrong.

Sadly it wasn’t. He’d no sooner returned to the paper than he quickly turned away again and clamped his hand over his nose.

“Huh-Ch!…unnnnnhh…”

Once again he stifled near silently and returned to work as casually as possible, hopping no one would notice. However, as he continued surveying the sheet in search of where he’d left off he was unable to suppress the feeling that someone was watching him. Unable to shake the nagging sense he turned to find L staring at him, his wide, dark eyes peering at him intently.

“What?” he asked.

“You sneezed, Yagami-kun…” L stated.

“And I suppose that this somehow makes me Kira now, correct?” Light asked coldly. Between the fact that L had pointed out not only the obvious, but the obvious Light would rather have had ignored and the fact that Light was currently struggling not to sniff again, this causing the itch lingering from his last two stifles to grow slowly worse again, Light’s comment ended up being slightly defensive, something he regretted now, as he had no doubt that L would find this intriguing.

“Iie (no)…” the young detective replied, eyes still fixed intently on Light. “I’ve just never heard you do it before.”

“Well now you have,” Light said turning back to his computer and propping his head on the hand opposite to L, discretely using his finger tips to rub the side of his nose in an attempt to compensate for his reluctance to draw any attention to himself by sniffing. Still he could feel the presence of L’s eyes, though he forced himself not to look back at the detective. Only a minute or so later Light turned his head away again. He paused for a few seconds before…

“Huh…… Ch!...unnh… Huh…CH!...unnnh…”

He returned again to his work, breathing through his mouth and trying to ignore the tickly running in his nose. However it quickly became apparent that this was not planning to stop causing trouble until it was dealt with. Reluctantly, Light swallowed his pride and gave a congested sniff, which helped in the short run, but by no means came close to solving the problem. He was surprised by how fast this had hit. Beyond the sneezing, the ache in his head had never subsided since he woke, his head felt fuzzy and warm while his body felt cold.

Then again, it was really no wonder why the illness had hit him so fast. Between being suspected of being Kira, being locked up in a cell for months with the possibility of being executed constantly hanging over his head, thinking he was going to be murdered by his father and then working 24/7 to solve a case that had put the best detectives in a slump while remaining a suspect in that very case, he’d had just about enough stress to last him for the rest of his life with room to spare. And that wasn’t even getting into how much sleep he’d been, or hadn’t been getting as the case may be. Light had always been a very slim teenager, bordering on what was healthy and sometime around the point when Kira had first appeared he’d lost about ten pounds. Put that together with how ever much he’d lost during his whole ordeal with the Kira business and he couldn’t help but thank his lucky stars he’d come down with a cold and nothing worse.

“Are you alright, Raito-kun?” L asked. Light turned to him once again to find the detective still staring at him with his wide oddly piercing black eyes and his head tilted sideways as he curiously examined Light.

“I’m fine,” he replied matter-of-factly. Light gritted his teeth as L opened his mouth to speak again, however to his surprise it was not to continue pressuring him on his health.

“Well then, I suppose we should get going soon.”

“Going where?” Light asked.

“You have a date with Misa-san today,” L reminded him. Light suppressed a groan. With his sleeping schedule being as messed up as it was he’d lost track of the day and completely forgotten about his agreement to date Misa every week to keep her from complaining. Standing was really not something he was dying to do, but not exactly having a choice in the matter he lifted himself out of his chair slowly. Just how much his body was aching from not moving from that position for days on end hit him as his under used muscles finally took action. He and L walked to a door at the side of the main room where the task force worked.

“Matsuda-san,” L addressed the young cop as they passed where he, Aizawa, Mogi and the chief were working.

“Ah! Oh, right! I’ll be right up, Ryuuzaki!” Matsuda replied, standing quickly before heading off in the direction of the kitchen. As they walked the hall between the main office and Misa’s room Light’s sore limbs weren’t the only things bothering him. The battle between him and his running nose raged on until finally, out of instinct he turned his head to the side and stifled two more.

“Huh……Ch!…nnnnnh…huh…Ch!...nhhhh…”

He gave another reluctant sniff, which helped slightly however Light couldn’t suppress the feeling of a slight lingering tickle in his nose, a most annoying feeling. One that threatened to make him sneeze at any moment, but chose not to, when faced with the possibility of taunting him with its control over him.

“Raaaitooo!” the two had hardly even opened the door before Misa came flying out of the room, wrapping her arms around her off balance boyfriend as the two of them crashed to the ground. L moved out of the way and let his hand move with them to keep from being yanked down as well by the chain.

“I wanted to see you so much! I’ve been waiting all week for our date!” she said, rubbing her head happily against his chest. After a few moments she let go and sat up, looking down at him with brown, concerned eyes. “You look tired,” she said before turning to glare at L. “Mou, Ryuuzaki! Can’t you give Raito a break once in a while! He’s gonna wear out if you keep working him too hard!” Light bit back a comment about how he’d have more resting time from his work if he didn’t have to balance seeing her with everything else.

“I told Raito-kun if he wanted to sleep I could retrieve a laptop and continue working from one of the rooms, but he said he was fine,” L stated.

“I am.” Light brushed the topic away as easily as he brushed the dust from his shoulder, getting back to his feet.

“Come on!” No sooner than Light had regained his balance Misa was pulling him excitedly into the room. She lead him to the polished table sitting between two couches in the middle of the room, pushing him down onto one of the seats before running and hopping into the other before proceeding to stare dreamily across the table at him. Soon after, L climbed over the back of the sofa.

“Matsuda-san should be arriving with cake soon,” he said matter-of-factly as he settled down into his personalized sitting position beside Light.

“I missed you so much! I thought about you everyday Raito!” Misa exclaimed lovingly. “You must miss Misa so much when we can’t see each other!”

“No, not really,” Light replied, bluntly honest. It was his belief that it was better to be honest than to lead people on with false hope. How Misa had ended up with the impression that he was her boyfriend he didn’t know. However he was not going to pretend to be in love with her because of that. He knew for a fact he had no genuine feelings for her and it was his opinion that leading someone on, even if they already had false thoughts of you, was the worst thing someone could do.

“Meanie!” she whined, her high pitched voice not helping Light’s head ache in the least. The door opened and Matsuda entered, holding a tray laden with beautifully frosted cakes, a tea pot and three cups.

“Here you go.” He set the tray down on the table with a gentle clunk, of china on wood and the dishes rattling. Matsuda then proceeded to distribute the sweets among the three of them and a cup to each before setting the tea pot in the middle of the table.

“Have fun! I’ll see you later! Bye, Misa-Misa!” Matsuda bid them each farewell excitedly before leaving the three of them alone. L reached out and took firm hold of the handle on the tea pot, beginning to pour the steaming liquid into Light’s cup first.

“You should have some tea, it’s good for you. It’s made from Matricaria recutita and is known for helping strengthen the immune system against infection,” L said conversationally.

Matricaria recutita huh? That bastard. Matricaria recutita as both Light and L knew was German chamomile.

He replied merely with “I see,” pointedly ignoring L’s silent prod. However he obediently reached out and took up the cup, enjoying the warmth seeping through the sides into his palms and the warmth against his face as he waited for it to cool.

He was only half listening, if he was listening at all, to what Misa was saying. Words and phrases floated around his exhausted mind, but having no energy and no desire to find energy to make sense of them Light just let them fade away, not even fully aware that he wasn’t actually listening. He leaned back into the soft material of the couch. It had been a while since he’d sat in something so comfortable… a week to be exact. Deeming that the tea was cool enough not to burn his throat Light took a sip. The hot liquid spread inside him, relaxing and warming his chilled limbs as he sank further into the cozy upholstery. He blinked a few times, trying to rouse his conscious but found himself unable to pull his mind back from the warmth and comfort that enticingly lured him toward much needed sleep. So he sat there, bordering on sleep, seeing everything around him but comprehending none of it.

“…Raito?” Light started at the sound of his name, giving his body the jolt of adrenaline it needed to bring him back to the situation around him. Misa was looking at him expectantly from across the table. Light had no clue what she’d said but it seemed as if she was looking for him to agree with her.

“Yeah, I guess,” Light replied, hoping his vague answer would keep him from saying something he didn’t mean.

“See Ryuuzaki?! Raito agrees with Misa!” To Light’s relief she immediately turned her attention from him to L, making no comment to suggest she’d noticed him not paying attention.

L sighed, “We have proof that Amane-san was in some way involved with the second Kira. You’re lucky we let you out of the cell and are treating you this kindly. Please don’t use that complaint, if anything we’re cooperating with you.” Misa puffed up her cheeks, pouting indignantly and glared at L.

“Hentai (pervert),” she murmured under her breath. Light straightened up from the comfortable position he’d sunk into against the couch, giving his wrist watch a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. 11:27 PM, they’d been there around a half to a quarter of an hour. While the light in Misa’s room was nothing compared to staring at a computer screen it served to disorient his pained head none the less. He took careful breaths through his mouth as his nose was unusable, his body aching to lean back and fall asleep. He swallowed to find that what had formerly been a slight soreness in his throat had escalated to a raw pain. This wouldn’t do, he needed to stand up and do something or risk falling asleep in front of Misa and L.

“I’ll be right back,” Light said, getting to his feet. The band of metal around his wrist fell to settle above his hand with a jingle. Already he could feel some energy return to him with the restored use of his tire limbs. “May I use you bathroom?” he asked Misa. While the bathroom wasn’t technically “hers” since it was in her room, he felt it polite to ask.

“Of course,” she replied.

Light turned, hearing the rattle of metal as L stood as well and the two of them made their way to the door. This was probably the worst part of L’s suspicion. You see, when L said he was observing and keeping an eye on him at all times by “all times” he meant all times to which the bathroom was no exception. Having been half asleep at the time Light hadn’t been thinking his clearest when he’d come up with the idea of the bathroom and was now regretting it. How exactly was he going to explain to L why he’d wanted to come here without actually having the need? This question only led to a thousand more. With L watching his every move, how was he going to ever get away from everyone to collect himself? And if he couldn’t, how the hell was he going to manage to keep his condition from L, Misa, and, god, all he needed now was to make a fool of himself in front of the entire task force, let alone his father! In the end, it really just came down to which situation was more degrading, giving into the illness in front of L or slowly having the truth come out to everyone. Light’s time to think was quickly lessening as they approached the bathroom door. By the time they’d reached it Light was still no closer to having a solution than he’d been in the beginning. Forebodingly he reached out and opened the door. As the two of them made to enter the room they were stopped abruptly by a sudden outcry.

“Eh?!” Misa immediately leapt up from the couch in disgust. “Ryuuzaki’s going in with you?! My god, Misa was right! Get away from Misa’s boyfriend you gay pervert!” she yelled. L gave a sigh.

“Amane-san, it seems you’re a little unclear on the concept of 24 hour surveillance. There’s no point in my being hand cuffed to Raito-kun and keeping an eye on him if I let him out of my sight at certain points. If I don’t watch him constantly he cannot be fully cleared of suspicion,” L could just have well have been talking to the table for all the attention Misa paid.

“You pervert!” she repeated. “Misa definitely won’t allow you to see parts of Raito even she hasn’t seen!”

“Amane-san, you realize I’ve already done this before, right?”

At L’s words Misa bristled, her eyes widening in disgust and her hair fanning out to the sides. With that she completely lost it. “Kono hentai! (You pervert!)” she screamed, grabbing the closest thing to hand, which happened to be her cell phone, from the coffee table and flinging it at L who easily moved out of the way to avoid it. Before the cell phone had even crashed to the ground she’d grabbed a pile of magazines, throwing each one at L as she continued screaming the one word at him. “Hentai! Hentai! Hentai! Hentai! Hentai!” Light winced as each high pitched, screamed insult sent an ear drum rattling, blinding shot of pain through his head. The only thought left in Light’s mind was to stop the pain. In only three long, brisk strides he’d reached the hysterical girl and swiftly clamped his hand over her mouth.

“Misa, shut up,” he breathed through gritted teeth as he waited for the throbbing pain to die down. The room was absolutely silent for a few moments before he let his hand fall from her mouth, leaving Misa gazing up at him with wide brown eyes.

“Gomenne (I’m sorry), Raito,” she said guiltily. “Are you angry?” The pain finally subsiding Light calmed down and started thinking clearly again.

“No,” he replied. “Just please don’t cause trouble. This is the only way for my name to be cleared.”

That’s right. This is the only way… And Light needed his name to be cleared. Needed the suspicion to fall, needed to have it proved that he was not Kira. Once his name was cleared he’d be able to rest again… To have peace again…

But whether brought on by his illness or just by his thoughts he stood there in a brief moment of depression and wondered just what being cleared would solve. He would be cleared and allowed back to his normal life, so he could do what? Continue working with all of his might to solve cases and put away criminals only to find another more brutal crime waiting for him the next day? To work relentlessly day after day to try and make some difference in a world which never changed, no matter how hard he tried… that never changed to matter how hard anyone tried…

But… Kira…

Like waking from a dream Light suddenly realized just what he’d just thought. He had to resist the urge to punch himself then and there. How could he even consider thinking of Kira as any sort of justice?! A murderer who had killed more people than anyone else in history?! Who had put him and his father through so much?! No, Kira was just another murderer to be put away.

“But… but…” Misa’s frail objections pulled him back to the room.

“Once we’re cleared you can leave here as well. Just be patient for now and don’t be a burden and soon this will all be over,” he said gently.

“Ok,” she finally agreed.

There was no pulling out now, especially after all this. He returned to the door of the bathroom and entered with L on his heels. Closing the door behind the two of them Light and stood there, the problem at hand quickly returning full force, his mind raced as he tried to decide which path to take, to continue his façade or to show weakness in front of L. However before he could make his choice his body cast its vote. Before he’d had a chance to dread it he felt the tiny tickle in the back of his nose make its way forward.

“…Huh…” Light scrunched up his nose, desperately trying to qualm the tickle which was only making his nose run more. He took slight solace in the fact that his back was to L. “Huh…. nnnnnnnn…” As the tickle finally reached its climax Light quickly realized it was futile and snapped his hands up to stifle. “…huh-chh!-nnn! Ch!-nnn! Ch!-n! Ch!-nn! Huh-Ch!…unh…” Kuso (Damn it), Light thought. He usually sneezed in doubles, this small fit could not be a good sign. However he’d managed to stifle them near silently and at the moment that was not his biggest problem.

Without moving his hand from his nose he turned, carefully avoiding turning toward L and took a few sections of toilet paper, using it to wipe his nose and get it at least a bit clearer. Still without looking at L he turned again and threw the toilet paper into the trash. However he couldn’t avoid the detective’s gaze forever. Reluctantly, he turned to where he knew the young detective to be standing.

With a start he found himself staring directly into L’s face. The detective was standing just a few inches from him, his wide, dark eyes staring intently into Light’s and his nose so close to Light’s he feared they would touch if he even breathed. Light had never seen eyes that looked so out of focus yet so intense at the same time. L’s expression was a mixture of curiosity and interest with his thumb pressed against his bottom lip.

There was a short pause as the two of them just stared at each other before L asked, “Are you feeling alright, Raito-kun?”

“Yes,” Light replied simply. L continued staring at him with his wide dark eyes.

“What?” Light asked finally.

“The pigment of the skin on your face has paled by approximately 50 percent,” he stated. “Yet the flush in your cheeks has risen by 30 percent.” Before Light had had time to react L reached out and, brushing the hair from Light’s face, placed a cold hand against his forehead. The cool presence felt nice in contrast with the excessive warmth of his fever. “You seem to have a fever of approximately 39 degrees Celsius. Are you really alright?” (Hontou ni daijoubu desu ka?)

“Yeah, I’m fine,” (Ah, daijoubu.) Light replied, removing L’s hand as he pulled away.

Not actually needing to use the toilet, Light simply went to the sink and splashed some cold water over his face before flushing the unused toilet and making his way back through the door. Just as he’d hoped L voiced no comment, however Light could feel the detective’s eyes fixed upon his profile as they made their way back to the couch where Misa waited, glaring daggers at L.

“We should be returning to the case soon,” Light said, judging that he’s spent enough time with Misa to have a chance of getting out. Luckily she seemed still mellow enough from her telling off earlier that she agreed without an argument. Misa accompanied them to the door and called farewells after them as they left to return to the main work room. Light’s head spun as they made their way along the hall. His legs felt weak and disconnected from his mind.

“Matsuda-san, please collect the dirty dishes from Amane-san’s room,” L instructed once they were back in the main office.

“Ah, hai!” Matsuda said, quickly moving to leave, pretending to be surprised at them being back, as if he hadn’t been watching the entire date through the security cameras. The two boys returned to their seats and Light returned to his position of propping his entire exhausted body up on his arm as he tried to cool his flushed face. He didn’t know whether his hand was actually cool, but in contrast it was a soothing touch.

Through his fuzzy mind he set to work. By now they had managed to root out all the people who were least likely to be in on the operation on Yotsuba and now had to start dividing the remaining candidates into groups depending on how likely an ally they would be. It was tedious and mostly speculatory work. If Light had been thinking clearly he would have considered the fact that he wasn’t thinking clearly and wondered whether it was a good idea for him to be making judgments on suspects in this state. However, such logic would run in a continuous loop and as Light wasn’t thinking clearly and thus wasn’t making this consideration, it hardly mattered.

The time crawled by as Light looked over paper after paper. Often finding himself needing to reread sometimes entire pages as he realized his mind hadn’t actually comprehended any of it. It was nerve wracking feeling to find himself so exhausted and sore that he dreaded even reaching for the next paper. His eyes wandered again to the clock in the corner of the screen, a natural habit they’d begun to acquire, just in time to see the minute change. 12:34 He’d only just turned back to his work when a voice called his attention.

“Raito-kun! Ryuuzaki!” the young voice called from across the room. The two boys turned to see Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi and Light’s dad standing as if to leave the room.

“Me, Mogi, Aizawa and the chief are going to take a break and have something to eat, would you like to come? You know, stop thinking for a little while. Turns out Mogi’s an incredible chef!”

Light was about to turn down the offer but L spoke first, “Yes, that sounds like a good idea, do you agree?” he asked Light.

“Yeah, sure,” not having any real reason to object other than continuing to work on the case, he agreed.

L unfurled himself from his crouched position and lowered his body limberly to the floor. Following suit Light pushed his chair out from the desk and placing his hands on the top of the smooth surface he pushed himself up.

Light’s head spun with the sudden upward orientation and a mixture of color and darkness swam before his eyes, coating his surrounding. He leaned against the desk waiting for the moment to pass, automatically beginning to breathe deeper. His first breath came wheezing through his congested throat, the air almost immediately catching he leaned further against the desk, coughing into his sleeve, trying desperately to get some air through his irritated throat. The room faded in and out between color and darkness as his head began to feel light with lack of oxygen. Somewhere far away he heard a voice calling words too mangled for him to understand. The floor felt as unsteady as a ship’s deck beneath his feet, swaying with no particular rhythm, when suddenly it capsized. He clutched to the table as the floor swung up under his feet, however his weak grasp slipped immediately. He felt his legs give out under him as he toppled over backward with the sway of the floor. A long way off, like the voice, Light felt his body hit something flat, solid and smooth.

~TBC~

And now I can reveal to you my other obsession, fainting I've been wanting to make Light pass out for a long time ~<3

Light - You have problems.

Me - And you have sexy hair. If this doesn't suck too much I hope to get the next chapter up... eventually...

And PLEASE feel free to give me advise on my writing style! I'm always welcoming toward constructive criticism! Grammar Nazis welcome ^^

[Quite Contrary]

Mmm...Light. This definately does not suck. I luv Death Note fics!!! yay!

[lalaland~]

teehee I like fainting, too ^^

I like it so far~ Light is so yummy >>

[SweetP]

uuuuummm OMG!!!! you MUST continue!!! i'm in love with Light, and the fact that he's sick makes me love him more!!!! Wow, i very much sounded like Misa....haha!

SweetP

[dove]

HOLY CRAP.

*sucks in deep breath*

YESSSSSS!!! :D :D

Have I mentioned that I love you? Because I love you. A lot. A whole lot.

This is wonderful!! Poor sick Light, I knew he would get sick from being stuck in that cell for 50 days then being forced into 24 hour work by L! YAYAYAYYAY!!!

Please, take your time writing the next installment, but just know that I am seriously looking forward to it!! I'm sure L will take excellent care of him... :D

[PetalsAndThorns]

I seriously wish I could reach through my computer screen and glomp you all right now! You're all the best and if I need any inspiration in my next chapter all I'll need to do is bring up this page! Thank you for your kind words!!!

mkool000 - Thank you ^^ I'm very glad you enjoy it

lalaland~ - Fainting pretty boys *sigh* Thank you! And yes, he is very yummy "Just ask a friend you know who drives one"...

SweetP - Thank you! Your comment is definitely an inspiration in that direction And we all have our moments ^^

dove - And have I mentioned that I love you? Because you rule! Poor, poor sick Light ... opps... I mean :D ... .

I'm sure L will take excellent care of him... :D

For some reason, that comment gave me a completely random, ok not completely random, but random L taking care of Light scene I'll have to put in my next chapter. Thanks! XD

[doggo]

OMG I love you. I have such a maaaaad anime crush on this character! *dances* And omg omg omg seems like someone's going to be sooooo sick

Besides your writing is so wonderfully IC. MmmMmmMmmmm loving this...

“You sneezed, Yagami-kun…” L stated.

“And I suppose that this somehow makes me Kira now, correct?”

WIN!!!

[PetalsAndThorns]

*glomps Shiny* I can see why Chui always as such a hard time controlling herself around you! Thank you so much! I'm so glad it seems to be IC so far! Thank you thank you thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far! (This forum REALLY needs a :glomp: emotocon... thing...)

[Sawyer]

Kyaaaa, this is PERFECT. I loved Light to begin with, but then it went to Light sneezing, and Light fainting...

PLEASE CONTINUE; the characterization was spot-on, and your writing style was readable and sadlkfjlkads I LOVE THIS.

[cupkake]

Ino its been almost a year since the last post on this... but... its SOOOOOOOOOOOO Adorable!!!!

Its says TBC but it hasnt been yet

PLEEZE continue it

[PetalsAndThorns]

Hey, guys. I'm really sorry to have abandoned you. I started writing the next chapter a few times but could never get past a certain point and then after a while, looking back at the story it looked to horrible in my memory's eye and I couldn't bear to continue it. Then when I thought about continuing it, I figured no one cared anymore, so I might as well not bother >.> Why does this always happen to me with my writing *face palm* My ability to continue to write things fails -.-

But I've started up again! And this time I'm going to finish it! No matter how crappy it seems to me (and probably is). And I'm going to get it done this time or die trying! (Note, I would like to leave my bishies to chui to distribute (or not) as she wishes. I'm leaving my allergens to Dove. My contagions should to to Shiny and the rest of my belongings should go to all in need.)

[snuffles]

Wha?? 'No one cares'?! I'm so in love with this fic, I've reread it many many times! Please continue!

[cupkake]

Your'e continueing it? Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!! I reread this at LEAST once a week I love it. Im kinda reeding the death note series right now so im obsessed with it. I went through this whole site looking at all the death note stuff. Theres only one other Light fic This one is better I can't wait till you post the next part!

[doggo]

My contagions should to to Shiny and the rest of my belongings should go to all in need.

I feel so moved!

AND YAAAAY YES yes yes please please give me more sickie!Light.

[PetalsAndThorns]

Ok, hopefully this won't make you regret asking for more ;;;^^ It's not as long as the last chapter (I just realized how long that was! Nine pages, I'm sorry for dumping all of that on you in the first chapter!) And it doesn't even have a lot of the good stuff, and STILL only stiffles >.< But that will be changing soon, I PROMISE! And the next chapter will be up way sooner. So yeah, I hope you enjoy

Chapter 2

“…R…Raito…” Soichiro finally broke the silence.

“Raito-kun!” Matsuda exclaimed, rushing forward. The movement sent a wave of slow comprehension over the other task members. At the point when the task force had only just begun to move L was already crouched beside Light’s limp form. He gently brushed Light’s hair from his face with the tips of his long, slender fingers. Treating it with the same care and caution as he did everything he held. As if it were a piece of evidence he was afraid of contaminating. With Light’s hair out of the way L gently placed his hand on the brunet’s forehead, just close enough to touch his skin.

“What happened?!” Matsuda asked as the task force drew up along side L. “Masaka… Kira?! (It couldn’t be…Kira?!)” he wondered aloud, panic rising in his voice. However any fear of a heart attack was short lived. Even before L replied “No”, from this distance Light’s labored breathing was all too apparent. Still a thousand questions buzzed in the minds of the task force as they watched L inspect Light.

L’s hand remained on Light’s forehead a few more seconds before he swiftly lifted it and slid two fingers under Light’s chin and against his neck to take a pulse. Without lifting his hand from Light’s skin L slid it down Light’s shirt to rest on his chest. Each move he made with a briskness and self assurance accompanied by a gentle carefulness.

“How is he?” Matsuda immediately asked as L had straightened up, or rather drew back up to his hunched over posture.

“From the looks of it, Raito-kun has contracted an infectious disease,” L stated.

“But he fainted! That must mean its something serious, right?! Shouldn’t he be taken to the hospital?!” Matsuda asked.

“I believe that his sudden collapse can be attributed to a recent lack of sleep. In any case my facilities are equipped to deal with any medical problem short of upwards of two patients in critical condition. It is able to handle most basic diseases.”

“But this place is brand new! These features can’t have been put to an actual test yet!”

“We have tested the functions extensively. Besides…” L lifted his handcuffed hand, “…there’s no way we can admit Raito-kun to a hospital like this and I will not remove the handcuffs until Kira is caught.”

“How can you be suspicious of Raito-kun when he’s not even conscious?!” Matsuda burst out.

“I fail to see what Raito-kun’s state of conscious has to do with my suspicions,” L said. Matsuda fidgeted uncomfortably. There was no real reason, now that he thought about it but it still seemed wrong.

“Yagami-san, while I am obligated to do as I see fit for the investigation, I would like your opinion,” L said, turning his dark eyes to Soichiro. Soichiro was silent for a moment. He stood tall and expressionless, looking at L with the authority he automatically exuded as a former police chief.

“…Do as you see fit. I trust your competence and as a former chief and a father I will not jeopardize this case. I’m leaving my son in your hands.”

“Hai. (Yes.)” L crouched down and slid his arms under Light’s shoulders and legs. He easily lifted the other boy into his arms with a strength the task members would never have expected from the pale, worn, bony, tired looking detective. His arms wrapped around Light from the bottom and his body hunched over Light on the top making Ryuuzaki look like he was clutching something that needed to be protected at all costs. Light’s head fell back limply and his hair slid back from his face to fall back toward the ground.

“Matsuda-san,” L continued talking to the task force as if oblivious of the form in his arms.

“Ah! Hai!(Yes!)”

“Please contact Watari and ask him to give you the location of my laptop. I will continue work on the case from Raito-kun’s room.” Matsuda nodded before rushing off to do as he was told. “I understand that everyone is startled however I think you will agree that Raito-kun would not want the investigation halted on his behalf. I would like it if you would continue as planned. I will keep you updated on Raito-kun’s condition so please limit visitation to only what is case required.”

“That’s ludicrous!” Aizawa objected. “The chief can’t visit unless its case related?! This is his son for God’s sake!”

“No, Ryuuzaki’s completely right,” Soichiro replied, tiredly massaging his forehead. “Raito wouldn’t want anymore time taken out of the case on his behalf than absolutely necessary. No. This is the right thing to do for many reasons.”

“I’m very glad to hear that you agree Yagami-san. While I’m not here I would appreciate it if you would take charge of the investigation. I’ll be contactable by computer. However I’m leaving the maintenance of the investigation here in your hands.”

“Thank you. I’ll do everything I can,” Soichiro replied.

“Please do.” L turned and made his way toward the glass staircase on the side of the room, off against the wall. Behind him he could hear Soichiro taking charge. At the top of the staircase he found himself confronted with a door which he opened easily by lifted one foot and fastening his toes around the doorknob. He twisted the door open without letting go of Light’s body for a second. In this manner he made his way to the nearest bedroom.

~*~*~*~

…Maybe if I pretend I didn’t wake up, I’ll fall back asleep… Light thought. However every unintentional thought pulled him further into awareness. His head was absolutely throbbing, his body felt sickeningly warm under the blankets and he could tell that any movement of his throat would result in great discomfort. Next to him he could hear someone typing steadily.

…What happened? When did I get this sick? Light tried to remember, but he couldn’t even recall falling asleep the night before. …What is Sayu doing on my computer? …Why can’t I remember anything from yesterday?… Then he remembered. He wasn’t at home. That’s right. I’m with L working on the Kira case. But… I can’t remember being in a bed here before…

…Because I haven’t. He remembered. I’d been getting rest by dozing off occasionally while looking through Yotsuba employees. So… how did I end up here?…Like this…

That’s right, I did wake up with a fever before… But what…

…I fainted… In front of the entire task force. My father. And L… I fainted…

…Maybe if I pretend I didn’t wake up, I’ll fall back asleep…

However as if to demonstrate how awake he was he felt the last thing in the world he needed… his nose itch. Rolling onto his side he curled up in a ball and held his hands over his face as he felt his nose twitch.

“Huuuh… hah huuh… hah huuuh… hah huuh… ha…huh…Chhh—!…uhnn…” Light clenched his eyes, the final exhalation of breath coming out as a moan of pain. His head pounded from the suppressed pressure, but he didn’t have long to recover his composure.

“Hah huuh…….. ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh…Ha…Chhnn! He-Chhh! Eh-Chhhnnn! …unnnnh” Another moan of pain escaped his lips before he’d had a chance to regain himself. Slowly the pain subsided… or at least became manageable again. Light waited but it seemed his still irritated nose didn’t plan on sneezing anymore for now. Only then did he realize that the typing had stopped.

“Ohayo gozaimasu, Raito-kun (Good morning),” he heard L’s soft voice say.

“Ohayo,” he replied, turning to L as he did so. His voice came out extremely hoarse. He tried to breath through his nose only to find he could barely get any air through. A fwoosh sound drew his attention. He looked up to see L perched on a chair beside him, holding a tissue out to him between his finger and his thumb.

“Domo (thanks),” Light said, slipping his hand from under the covers and accepting the tissue. He used it as discretely as physically possible.

Looking around he took in his surroundings. From the bed he could see a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were patterned the same as the ones in Misa’s room and there was a large bedside table around the area of his head with a lamp on the corner. Beside him L sat in a padded chair with a table in front of him similar to the one at Light’s head on which sat his computer.

“Are you feeling better?” L asked.

About ten times worse actually, thanks for asking.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Every one was very surprise when you passed out. It was very reckless of you to push yourself like that. You should take better care of your body,” L reprimanded him.

I slept no less than you, you hypocrite!

“You’re right. I’m sorry for interrupting the investigation.”

“Please don’t worry about it.”

“What time is it?” Light asked.

“6 PM,” L answered without looking at a clock.

“I see.” …What time was it that I passed out yesterday…? I remember something about 12:30… So rounding 12:30 up I’ve been out for about five hours. That’s better than I’d expected… In fact with the shape I was in that’s amazingly good…

“…What day is it?”

“Today is Saturday.” If Light’s head weren’t supported by pillows it would have fallen back. Saturday. He hadn’t been out for five hours. He’d been out for 17.

“It’s not very surprising when you consider your recent amount of sleep,” L said in replying to his thoughts. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He turned to see Matsuda enter the room with a tray with a bowl on it.

“Raito-kun! Welcome back!” He greeted them brightly, coming to set the tray on the bedside table beside Light. “How are you feeling?” he asked, suddenly serious.

“I’m fine,” Light replied with a smile, pulling himself up into a sitting position leaning against the head of the bed.

“Yokkata~! (Thank god. lit. That’s good.)” Matsuda breathed in relief. “Hontou ni shinpai shita yo! (We were really worried!)”

“Sumimasen (I’m sorry),” Light said apologetically.

“Don’t apologize! I’m just glad you’re ok.”

“How is the investigation?” Light asked seriously. Matsuda laughed.

“Don’t worry. You’ve only been gone one day, nothing huge has happened. Take it easy and get better soon. The investigation needs you after all,” Matsuda said with a smile, in an obvious attempt to cheer Light up.

I know…

Light smiled back.

“Thank you, Matsuda-san.”

“Sore jaa, (Well then)” Matsuda nodded to him and L and left the room. Light sighed and let his head fall back against the wood behind him.

“You should eat,” L said.

“I’m fine.”

“It’s important you get sufficient nourishment,” L stated.

Like you’re one to talk.

L took the bowl, which from this distance Light could now see contained miso soup, and a spoon from the tray and limberly stepped from his chair to the bed as if here were playing a game of not stepping on the ground. He stepped over Light with his other foot and settled down in a crouching position over him while Light blinked in confusion. L dipped the spoon into the bowl.

“…What are you doing?” Light asked. L looked up at him curiously.

“I’m going to feed you,” he said.

“I can do it myself,” Light said, an edge of annoyance making it into his voice.

“You shouldn’t strain yourself,” L replied, taking a spoonful from the bowl. “Here, say ‘aah’,” he said, offering the spoon to Light. Light didn’t even know where to begin with how wrong with was. Not only was it most probably the most demeaning thing anyone had ever done to him, but you don’t even eat miso soup with a spoon! But Light had a feeling that arguing wasn’t going to get him anywhere with this person. He sighed, gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride and opened his mouth.

Light had to admit that whoever the cook was they were very skilled. Despite his lack of appetite the soup was nourishing and easy to eat. In the end he was glad to have some sustenance. They were almost to the end when Light held up his hand to stop L. L watched as Light turned away, biting his lip. He paused for a moment before his breath hitched and he stifled a sneeze in his hand.

“…huh-uh…chhnnn!”

Light bit his lip harder, trying to take his body’s attention from the tickle in his nose to the pain in his lip. It only served to drag the predicament out longer.

“…heh-uh…huh-uh…hu…He-chhnn! Hu-chnn! Hee-cchhh!” Light waited but no more came. He rubbed his nose irritably.

If you’re going to bother me like that would you at least stop tickling afterward!

Suddenly he felt something soft against his nose. He opened his eyes to see L holding a tissue to his nose. Light just stared at L. Trying to comprehend just what the hell the detective thought he was doing.

…Is he trying to make fun of me?

“I can do that much myself!” he said, the agitation he usually masked cutting clearly into his tone.

“It’s not a problem for me,” L said as if he was completely unaware of Light’s annoyance. Light bit his lip again, for a different reason this time.

Is it really possible for someone this astute to be this oblivious, or is he playing with me? Usually Light would automatically assume the latter. However even though he was leaning towards that answer, with L he could really never tell.

“I’d really rather do that myself,” Light continued. Regardless of L’s intentions this was one point on which he was not going to relent.

“Suit yourself,” L said, letting Light take the tissue himself. “However, Raito-kun. It would be better for you in the long run if you were to stop stifling those. It will only be painful to you in the condition you’re in.”

“That may be so, however overall I’m more comfortable like this. After all, the last thing I want to do is infect you…” Light trailed off as terror suddenly spring up in his chest. “…Ryuuzaki I need you to remove this chain immediately.”

“Raito-kun that’s not possible. I will not remove this chain until Kira is caught.”

“Think about it you idiot! If you’re constantly with me there’s no chance in hell that you won’t get sick too! You’re the head of the Kira case! And as both a detective and a suspect I can not allow you to put your health at risk while on this case!” Light rose up more authoritatively as he spoke, pain forgotten beneath adrenaline.

“Please calm down Raito-kun. That may be true. However you were contagious for two to three days before your symptoms presented and even more so afterward. If I were to catch your illness, chances are I have already.” Light felt the adrenaline stream from his body like water through a sieve. His shoulders fell back against the back of the bed and his head was dazedly dragged with the motion.

“…You think you’ve already caught it…” He said hopelessly.

“Nothing has presented itself, however we’ve been chained together for the duration of your illness. Chances are high that I have. That is why I have requested that the entire task force refrain from coming into this room as often as possible.

“Demo… (but)” L said in response to the look of impending doom on Light’s face. He smiled. “What has happened cannot be helped. It is best to go with circumstances as they come. Do not worry yourself and please, stop causing yourself pain by stifling like that.” With that he took up the spoon again. “Hora (Here(not lit.)), finish your soup properly.”

[cupkake]

Yay! the new parts finally up!! I can't wait for part 3! your sick light is adorable

[Dye]

Ho my-

FFFFFFFFFFFFF

There must be more.

I demand it so.

[doggo]

Awww cute!

[snuffles]

AAAH! I'm soooo happy! This is too great, Iloveyou!

[cupkake]

hey,hey

Wheres part threeeeeeeee?

[DemonMolly]

If you do a part three, will there be sneezy L? I luv him~

The recent chapters have been filled with awesomeness! Perhaps more than Prussia! (lol hetalia reference)

Keep it up!

[*lovely_lily*]

Awww I love Death Note and I'd love to ssee this continued! Will there be a part 3?

[Sitruuna]

There will be a part three, right? And we'll see a sneezy L, won't we?

[mrs_pheles]

OMG This is absolutly amazing!! I cant wait for part 3!

[Emily]

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with a fainting fetish on the forum. ;D

; 3 ; Care to continue this wonderful piece?