Saturday, May 1, 2010
This blog has moved
This blog is now located at http://asylum-betterwith3.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.
For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://asylum-betterwith3.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Not Made of Steel
Theme: 21:00 - Comprehension of universal truth.
Rating: PG-13/R
Warnings: Alternate universe in play once again. Also, this is a sort-of sequel to my earlier (non-24HT fic) Falling Apart, so you might wanna give that a quick read first.
Word Count: 547
Not Made of Steel
It was a subtle change, a subtle difference, but L was struck one day just how different Light had been since the night they had apprehended Higuchi Kyosuke.
At first, the detective had bought into Light's initial comment, that he'd reacted poorly to seeing the shinigami. Over the course of the next week, though, that excuse didn't seem too viable as he willingly spent time with the creature... almost seeming to seek her out even when L wasn't there asking questions as well. Add in that they occasionally had their conversations out of sight of the cameras and audio-recording equipment, and L was somewhat suspicious.
One month later, and there was something in Light's eyes that had been steadily appearing since that night, something that L had not been able to put a name to. The teen spent time away from the investigation headquarters at last, even going on a few dates with Misa, but always returning to the room put aside for him at the end of the night. Only once had he remained out all night; according to Soichiro, Light had not spent the night at his home either. Yet Light returned the next morning without any explanation other than he had spent the entire night walking, lost in thought on how to proceed with the case.
Another month went by, with that look getting more prominent but more easily hid behind a facade. It was about this time that Misa changed as well, as subtly as Light's change had occurred. She began to spend her free time with them, not demanding that they drop their work, merely wanting to be around "my men," as she'd taken to calling them. She looked right there, somehow, on Light's arm without really clinging to it and reaching out to L as well. There was something in her eyes as well, something different than what was hidden in the young man's eyes but still just as intriguing to L.
In total, L spent five months observing since that night, coming to conclusions and discarding them as necessary before coming to one that seemed to be the correct one:
Guilt and sadness were what lived, hidden, in Yagami Light and Amane Misa's eyes. And the detective could think of only one thing that would have put either of those emotions in plain view.
Unfortunately, though, he had no evidence that his friends had been Kira and the second Kira. Had been. They obviously weren't anymore, as no new deaths had occurred since Higuchi's capture. The new questions were, how did they forget? Why do they recall now?
...what should I do with this new information?
The answer surprised even L: nothing.
The guilt would eventually kill Light if he would not speak of it. The sadness in Misa seemed to fade at times and then grow stronger, usually in conjecture with the degree of guilt he caught in his other friend's eyes. They both unconsciously turned to L, not with words but with their actions. If he waited long enough, one or both of them would speak. Then, and only then, would he do anything.
Then... he would forgive them both. Until that time, he would wait, and watch, and be their rock, because that was what friends did.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Monday, July 2, 2007
How You Play the Game
Theme: 04:00 - Improved luck or victory over a specific set of deterring circumstances.
Rating: PG-13/R
Warnings: Alternate universe in play and character deaths. Yes, Katsuko is killing people. Be afraid.
Word Count: 1089
How You Play the Game
All in all, the case didn't exactly end how he'd expected.
Yes, his suspicions had been founded, and for that matter confirmed when shortly after Amane's release the death toll started rising amongst criminals once again. It was a good thing he'd insisted on cameras in the woman's apartment, and quickly had her taken back into custody when she was caught in the act of writing names in a second Death Note.
She refused to give up any information, though, instead keeping her mouth firmly shut; she had probably glared as well, but her eyes were hidden by a blindfold and thus it was impossible to determine if this was fact or fantasy. Still, it increased the likelihood of Yagami Light being the first Kira by fifteen percent, and he turned his investigation back towards the teenager who was still working the case.
What he had never counted on was the shinigami attached to the original Death Note they had obtained from Higuchi. When he accused Light of being Kira once again, the teenager brushed off the words but seemed to give the shinigami a long look. The creature slipped out of the room only to return a moment later, inclining her head to Light.
And that's where everything fell apart. It was then that Light had given a smirk and said, "You're right. I am Kira. But I still win."
He dropped dead ten seconds later, and the shinigami dissolved into sand. Not a minute later, Matsuda burst into the room and announced that Amane had collapsed in her cell, and that Watari believed her to be dead as well.
The deaths had stopped immediately after Amane's arrest, and as they had yet to begin again, the Kira case was considered successfully closed.
So, why was it that L found himself seated in front of his computer at just past four in the morning, his coffee with twelve sugars having long since grown cold, rewatching the video footage that had been shot over the months that the Kiras were confined to the building? There was no reason for it, and he was still alive. Yagami Light had been buried the previous week, and Amane Misa's body had been returned to Kansai for burial; there was really nothing to hold him in Tokyo yet L couldn't leave. He felt like there was still some vital piece to the puzzle that he was missing.
But... watching the footage wasn't easy.
Knowing what he did now, it was easy to see the point when ownership of the notes had passed from each; Amane's cries of kill me he now knew were directed at the shinigami he had met and could clearly see and hear on the monitor, and Light's comment on giving up this foolish pride was likewise some sort of code directed to a different, unknown shinigami. Their attitudes and temperament changed almost instantly, although Yagami-san had noted no real change so far as he could tell in his son. Was it possible that the Light-who-was-not-Kira was how Light would have been had he never used the Death Note? Was the sweet model-slash-actress Amane Misa the real face and not the hard murderess that had been taken into custody not once but twice?
There was something there, he could see, something that wasn't shinigami or amnesia. In all the video footage from the final month of the investigation prior to Higuchi's capture, he noted that apparently the three of them had fallen into a routine without realizing it: Amane hovering in the background demanding attention yet being first to fetch coffee or snacks when anyone would mention a desire for such, Light and himself working in fluid precision to the point where it almost seemed as if they weren't chained together, the three of them silent yet communicating flawlessly their feelings during "dates."
Somehow along the way, L had honestly begun to view the Kiras as his friends. And now they were gone.
A movement in one corner of the screen, video from a room that had cameras but generally went unmonitored, caught his attention suddenly; most likely it drew his gaze because it was Light's room in the few short days before his death, and the shinigami had just crossed into view. L frowned to himself and enlarged the screen, cutting on the sound as he did so.
"He is suspicious of you," the shinigami remarked coolly on the video. "It is risky to let him live any longer."
"You aren't to kill him until I give the word," was the reply, harshly spoken yet there was something in the tone that gave L pause; it didn't sound as if Light wanted him dead.
"You seem inclined to let him live."
"I do."
That threw L, and apparently stunned the shinigami as well. She blinked her visible eye at the teenager before speaking again, voice still cool:
"I have told you before, Yagami Light, that I will kill you if Misa's life is at risk."
Light dropped his head slightly, although L could see the faint smile. "Good."
Another long pause, this one broken by Light himself: "I've already given new instructions to Ryuuk. If Misa is captured again, his signal to act is the phrase 'I still win.' At that point he is to write down her name."
"I cannot kill another shinigami. I will kill you to spare her," the shinigami hissed.
"That's what I want you to do." Light lifted his head and turned to face the shinigami, back to the camera much to L's chagrin. "If L accuses me of being Kira, I want you to kill me. Step out of the room to do it; we don't want him to see."
"I will still die as well."
"Maybe that's the only way to end this, Rem."
Both shinigami and human fell silent; then Rem nodded once and slipped out of the room again. Light moved to walk out as well, but turned and walked toward where the camera was hidden and looked directly into the lens.
"It's better this way," he said clearly before turning and walking out.
And the last piece of the puzzle fell into place with shocking clarity: L and the Kiras could not exist together. Ryuuzaki and Light and Misa were friends. And as a friend, Light had removed the Kiras from the picture once and for all.
In the end, it wasn't the first Kira who had won, nor had L. There was no real winner, and everybody lost.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Theme: 11:00 - Energy directed toward transformations which may have seemed impossible.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Minor spoilers up to Episode 25/Chapter 58. But not really :3
Word Count: 433
In the Blink of an Eye
In all honesty, it should have been a simple matter. Light had ownership of the Death Note back, Higuchi was out of the picture, and all that should be left was to move Rem into a position to kill L and in the process herself as well.
Except for the fact that he, in spite of his planning before the fact, just couldn't do it. Light had taken every factor into consideration save for one: himself.
There was no way of knowing that he would grow to respect L as much as he did, that he would honestly over the months without his memories come to view the man as his best friend. There was no way to know that Misa's ditz act was just that, and that in spite of how aggravating she could be she would also manage to slip into the category of friend. Not "girlfriend," god no, that was the last thing he needed. "Girl friend," though, was acceptable... and he'd never really had one of those before either.
Had it really only been the previous night that his perfect, well-thought-out plan had begun to fall apart? It seemed like so much longer, especially given that he hadn't been able to fall asleep in spite of the third Kira's capture and death. Now it was just past eleven and he still wasn't sure if he could follow through on his original plan. He didn't have a choice, even though he didn't want to kill--
Then it hit him, just like that. Light was acting as if there was no other option but to follow the plan. But there was always another option; what sort of genius was he if he couldn't see that?
So when he said his goodbyes to Misa twenty minutes later, he didn't utter a word to her about an item hidden in the woods he wanted her to find, merely wishing her well and telling her they would go on a real date sometime soon. After she had fairly skipped out of the building, Light turned and walked back inside with the intention of finding Rem. The shinigami was vital to his new plan. L was definitely going to want to test the thirteen day rule, and to keep all of them safe Rem was going to have to do him a favor or two.
Light knew that it wasn't going to be an easy task, especially considering that he was planning it right under the nose of the world's top three detectives. But one thing was given: it certainly wasn't going to be boring.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Theme: 18:00 - Matters of safety, protection and completion
Rating: PG
Warnings: No real spoilers, unless something like this happened between panels during Volumes 5 and 6 of the manga without me noticing.
Word Count: 842
Every Time It Rains
The entire day the sky outside the investigation headquarters had looked foreboding, the threat of rain apparent in the dark clouds above the city. Yagami-san had remarked on it once or twice, drawing forth little more than agreement from the other members of the task force. Light had himself been unusually quiet on the subject, speaking only whenever he'd find something that might be of relevance to the investigation. Even Misa had been subdued in her rooms, simply reading through the latest fashion magazines and turning her gaze to the windows every now and again.
Storms didn't really bother L much, but from his quiet observation throughout the day it seemed that neither Kira suspect shared that rational. This became more apparent once everyone had left for the day to beat the rain and the storm itself finally hit around six-thirty. The rumble of thunder drew a shriek from Misa in the adjoining room and the first flash in the sky had the Yagami boy's eyes focused on the window as if he were checking it over for any means that the lightning could possibly slip into the building and strike him.
The fear was, for the most part, irrational. True, there was the possibility of the building being struck by lightning, but the chances of it bypassing the lightning rod on the roof, gliding down the building, slipping through a minuscule crack in the wall and hitting Light were about ten billion to one. And the thunder couldn't do any harm, so Misa had no reason to be terrified. Yet just moments ago she'd started pounding on the door that separated her room from the where L was trying to enjoy his tea and it was starting to look as if the brunet was thinking about climbing behind the sofa and waiting out the storm facing resolutely away from the window.
L sighed mentally and stood. It wasn't as if he was getting any work done anyhow, seeing as Light had turned off every computer the moment he'd recovered from the first lightning flash in the sky and refused to go anywhere near them again.
"Ryuuzaki?" said teenager questioned even as he fell into step next to the detective to keep the chain from pulling at either of their wrists. L ignored him for the moment and used his keycard to unlock Misa's room. He'd barely pulled it open when the petite blonde launched herself through the door and latched onto him, arms locked firmly around his waist and trembling with fright.
"Misa-san," he said evenly, "Light-kun is about three steps to your left."
"So?" came the reply, accompanied by her grip tightening on the very next rumble and a soft whimper. "You're closest."
L sighed and started to turn to see if the teenager would pry his girlfriend free when the entire room lit up from the lightning crashing outside before falling into half-light as the electricity failed. Apparently saving all the data and shutting the system down was a good idea... and Light's attention was focused on the window. If L wasn't mistaken, he could swear that the younger male was counting. When thunder roared again about two minutes later, he realized what his friend was doing. Although the revelation that Light was using unorthodox means to track the storm did nothing to detach Misa's death grip.
"This way," the detective said at last, turning with some difficulty and moving towards the couch that was facing away from the window. Misa somehow managed to make it there without either turning to see where she was walking or relinquishing her hold on L; Light had no real choice but to follow and he wasn't arguing. The blonde released the man only when he sat down, and then she waiting until her boyfriend was seated before dropping down between them and gripping each by one arm.
"I hate thunder," she whimpered, turning her face to Light's shoulder and flinching when the rumbling sounded again. "It's stupid, and I know it's just noise, but I still hate it."
"It's just a storm, Misa," Light said, speaking for the first time that day in more than one-word sentences. "A little rain and a little thunder, nothing to worry about."
L quirked an eyebrow as the next bout of lightning caused the teenager to stiffen slightly. "And a little lightning," he added, ignoring the dark glare thrown his way. "The probability of lightning striking you in a building is highly in favor of you not being struck, Light-kun."
"You're not helping," the teen hissed before promptly turning his attention to his girlfriend. L's lips twitched into a small smile and he turned slightly to watch the storm. It wasn't until about ten minutes later that Light spoke up again. "Ryuuzaki?"
"Yes, Light-kun?"
"Nothing."
For the remainder of the storm the three sat in companionable silence. And if Misa clung a little tighter to both on each receding bout of thunder and Light counted the seconds between flashes of light, L didn't comment on it.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Theme: 03:00 - Determination, especially in matters that seem to hold you back.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers through Volume 6 of the manga.
Word Count: 818
Keeping the Faith
There were few things that could keep her awake at night. Auditions, shoots with new clients, and thinking about her parents were pretty much it. But it was now quarter past three in the morning and she was still wide awake, information swirling through her mind so rapidly that it had been reduced to three short sentences:
Light had been Kira.
Misa herself had been the second Kira.
Ryuuzaki worked for L.
None of these facts were devastating by themselves, except for perhaps the second one; she found it hard to believe that a model-slash-actress was of any use to Kira. The first fact didn't bother her, as she had adored Kira for avenging her parents murder and she'd loved Light from the first moment she saw him. The third didn't bother her too much because she knew that Ryuuzaki was smart (even if he was a pervert) and was probably a big help to the man on the other side of the computer.
Taken all together, though, it almost physically hurt. If Light really was Kira and Ryuuzaki found out, then Light would be arrested and imprisoned. He might even die. If she was really the second Kira, the same thing would happen. She didn't want to die, and she didn't want Light to die.
Nor did she want Ryuuzaki to die, because if Light was Kira and somehow found out who L was, then it followed that Light would do whatever it took to keep him and Misa safe, even if it meant killing his best friend. And Misa was positive that Light and Ryuuzaki were best friends; she could see it in the unconscious way they made allowances for one another to the point that the chain may as well not even be there.
All of this was not only keeping her awake, it was starting to give her a headache. With an annoyed sigh she crawled out of bed and walked to the door separating her room from the one her boyfriend and best friend were in. She knocked on the door, not too loud, but hopefully loud enough to be heard.
Apparently it was loud enough, because after a few moments she heard the click that indicated the lock was disengaged and Ryuuzaki stood blinking at her on the other side. Just behind him she could see Light rubbing at his eyes and looking hopeful that the interruption would mean they could stop working for the night. Misa rather hoped that herself; they'd been working hard ever since she got back and she could still hear typing as she'd prepared for bed.
"Amane-san," Ryuuzaki finally said. "Is something wrong?"
Just the opening she was looking for. "I can't sleep," Misa said, giving a faint pout. "Can I sit in here with you two for a while?"
Ryuuzaki frowned and started to speak before the younger man cut him off: "I see no problem with it, Ryuuzaki. I need to take a break anyway."
Misa's lips twitched into a slight smile at the annoyed look the older man shot the younger, but he merely shrugged and turned to walk back into the room. Light trailed behind him and Misa pulled her door shut before running to catch up, latching onto her boyfriend's arm and giving him a warm smile. She was both surprised and pleased when he returned the look. She often got the impression that he was easily annoyed with her, so when he was warm it made her happy.
Rather than return to the computer, Ryuuzaki continued on to the small bedroom opposite the door to Misa's own rooms. He waited until the other two passed him before shutting it and strolling to the bed. Usually Misa would be annoyed over the fact that apparently L had deemed only one bed necessary but tonight she didn't mind at all, waiting until both Ryuuzaki and Light had settled before crawling in between them. She giggled softly at Ryuuzaki's stunned expression and wrapped her arms around Light's waist as she curled closer to him. After a moment one of his arms was draped around her shoulders and his chin was rested against her hair. Misa closed her eyes, listening silently as Light's breath evened out into sleep before reaching behind her with one hand to tap her friend on the leg.
"Mm?" he said, the sound a question in itself and an attempt to not wake Light.
"Thank you, Ryuuzaki-kun," she whispered. When she felt him shift behind her to actually lie down himself she smiled, knowing that everything would be okay.
Because even if Light had been the first Kira and she had been the second Kira, Ryuuzaki was their best friend and would find some way to help them. Of that, Misa had no doubt. Keeping this thought firmly in the forefront of her mind, Misa finally relaxed into a peaceful slumber.
§ § § § § § § § § §
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to Death Note: Better with Three. Yes, I'm one of those weird-ass fans who sees a potential for friendship - not a fakey I totally think you're Kiras and will pretend to be friends with you so I'll be there when-not-if you slip up deals but the real thing - between Yagami Light, Amane Misa and L Lawliet. Yes, I used his name. It's not really an effing spoiler anymore since most of the fandom has either read the spoilers or went looking for "How To Read 13" ages upon ages ago.
Anyway, this little blog is to be home for all my stories featuring the trio as friends. Maybe I'll slip other elements in from time to time (because romance is fun, and rivalry is fun, and these three would probably fight like demons if given the chance) but for the most part, this is a study of a friendship that could have been, might have been, and in canon will never be.
Enjoy your stay. The first post should be appearing sometime in the next twenty-four hours.
§ § § § § § § § § §