Chapter Text
They keep a vigil on Misa Amane overnight but most Light’s time is eaten up by organizing the first chunk of evacuations of his own Shi from inner city Tokyo to the outer regions. L complains, loudly, that sending them away is only making Light more vulnerable but Light needs them safe long term.
The Shi will be hiding in hotel rooms for a while. L has orchestrated a long-term solution, but it’ll take a few days for the lease on the property to go through in the fake name L’s provided the landlord. Light’s sent Namikawa as his head of operations for now. If Matsuda leaves the NPA will notice, and Matsuda would be useless for such a task. Mikami, meanwhile, would simply refuse to leave so it easier to let him support the NPA officers for now.
Light runs his hand through his hair. Exhausted.
“I’m going to stall the NPA.” L declares. “I won’t tell them about Misa’s Hive for now. But I have to tell the officers on our taskforce that we’re awaiting further instruction and that seesawing on both sides will only last so long.”
“And Misa?”
“I’ve found Misa’s private cell number.” L sighs. “We’ll call her tonight.”
“Tonight?” Light argues. “Why not—?”
“We’ve been working for thirty-six hours.”
Light hesitates.
“I’m going to let some of the NPA officers rest. I’m going to let Mastuda rest. Mikami and Aizawa will hold vigil until they can change off next shift. Watari will supervise for me while we rest.”
“I can’t just—”
“The Shi are safe.” L climbs out of his chair. “I’ve evacuated your Hive. I’ve organized a way for you to contact Misa Amane. And now—“
Light yelps, shrieking in mortification as L throws him over his shoulder—
“And now,” L bounces him in his grasp. “I am going insist you rest. We rest. For the longevity of the Hive. You can’t think if you’re exhausted. And I’m not having you make anymore stupid decisions.”
Light flushes, stuttering, but L is already carrying him out of the office.
“This is—”
“Sayu will be missing you.” L says.
“That’s a cheap move!” Light slaps L’s back.
“Shh,” L hushes, voice softening. “Come to bed little wasp,” he croons, shifting tactics from demanding to coaxing. Learning.
Light blushes hotter as L carries him down the corridor. “You—This is—”
“We’ll have some tea,” L strokes the back of his thigh. “You can snuggle Sayu. We’ll sleep. I’ll kiss your fucking feet if you want,” L slips into a subtle note of irritation even as he seduce Light into compliance.
Light groans, sagging limp in L’s hold.
“Fine,” he grumbles. “Fine…”
L carries him down the hall, opening the door to Light’s suite and putting him down on the carpet tenderly. As L straightens Sayu clamours of the bedroom to throw herself at Light. Light catches her, arms around her shoulder, and nuzzles into her hair with a growing softness in his gut.
“Hey Sweetheart,” Light greets.
“You’ve been working big days,” Sayu lifts her head to face him.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Light tucks her hair behind her ear. “Just trying to catch this other Kira so she can’t threaten us anymore. I want us all to be safe.”
“Right,” Sayu nods. “We gotta stop her, but—”
Sayu pauses, blinking at L.
L blinks back.
Sayu tilts her head. “I thought all the other Shi left?”
“L’s assisting me.” Light rubs her shoulders. “But don’t tell anyone he’s Shi, okay?”
“The humans can’t tell?” Sayu asks.
“The humans are dumb.” Light sighs.
“The humans—” L grumbles.
“Have you eaten Sweetheart?” Light smiles down at Sayu.
“I had—Uh—” Sayu glances off towards the kitchen. “What time is it now? I think I had dinner, last night, but I was playing the sewer level and—”
“Let’s have something now.” Light shuffles her towards the kitchen. “I’m starving!”
L hesitates, digging his heels in but—
“You want to come eat with us?” Light offers over his shoulder. “You said you’d stay and cuddle, didn’t you?”
L frowns, clearly conflicted, but sags. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?”
“Come eat, Love.” Light coaxes. “You need to eat too. Do you want another cup of tea?”
“I’ll get it.” L follows, hands stuffed in his pockets. “You focus on the food.”
Light begins to suspect, pottering around the kitchen with Sayu kitten-clinging to him and L brewing tea that this is how his life is going to progress. When Misa Amane is gone. When the Hive is his. Light will make breakfast in another kitchen with L and Sayu. He’ll be anonymous to the Japanese government. He’ll be free. But this will stay the same.
He’s going to make it stay the same.
They sleep until sunset. L and Light curled in the bed while Sayu plays on her Switch in the lounge making an effort to be quiet for them. Light’s going to have to get her a home-schooling program. Her last mother, her human mother Sachiko, she would like that for Sayu. But that’s a long term issue. Right now Light has to focus on the specifics of protecting the Hive from this imposter Kira.
As the sun drops behind the Tokyo skyscrapers they return to the office. L goes ahead of Light to relieve Watari from his station and Light follows behind, tugging off his face mask as he settles into his desk chair. It’s nice not to have to wear the damn thing for extended period of time anymore.
L pivots his tea and hands Light a slip of paper scrawled with his handwriting.
“What is--?”
“Misa Amane’s phone number.” L grunts, loading another sugar into his cup. “Matsuda and Mikami assure me she’s in her apartment retiring for the evening after another day at her talent agency.”
“Probably plotting world domination,” Light rues, re-orientating the phone number so he can read it. He holds his hand out again, knowing the phone he uses to contact L and his personal cell phone will be useless in this scenario with all the blocking on the Headquarters.
L huffs, passing Light his own smart phone.
“Passcode?” Light asks.
“345998.” L sips his tea. “What are you going to say anyway? Have you considered that?”
“Depends what she says, I guess,” Light murmurs, typing the number.
L hums warily.
Light takes a deep breath and holds the phone to his ear, waiting.
Ringing…
Ringing…
“Hello?” Misa Amane greets, sounding confused.
“Kira?” Light greets.
If Misa is human, which is unlikely, she won’t understand.
But—
“Who is--?” Misa gasps.
But her voice doesn’t turn cold like Light is expecting.
If anything, it pitches up an octave.
“Oh my god!” Misa trills. “Is this the other Kira?”
“Yes, it is.” Light replies.
“Oh my—Ah!” Misa sounds excited. “It is like so super cool to talk to you! You found me! How did you--?”
“You’ve been leaving a trail. The Japanese government are already looking for you.” Light chides tightly.
“Ugh, I know…” Misa groans. “I tried but, like, I’m so bad at stuff like this. My whole job is to get noticed, ya know?” She laughs.
Light purses his lips. “We should talk.”
“Yes, yes!” Misa declares. “Let’s absolutely talk. We should—Oh! What’s your name?”
“That’s not—”
“You know mine,” Misa teases.
“Light.” He replies.
“Oh that’s pretty,” Misa croons. “Hi Light.”
Light fumbles, confused. “What is your plan exactly Misa?”
“Well…” Misa sighs. “Is it lame to admit I don’t really have one?”
Light hesitates.
Misa powers on, sounding embarrassed. “Like—I have the impulse to infect people. Of course, I do. So I did the clubs and stuff. But I started getting spooked when the news got all serious. So I started turning everyone at my agency. It felt safer. I could control it. Keep it secret. But big picture—ugh, I was hoping you would have an idea?”
“Me?” Light repeats incredulously.
“Yeah!”
“How did you know about me, Misa?”
“Well, I knew there were stay Shi, and I was trying to round them all up, really, but then they all centralized so I figured— Oh! And Kira-Prime told me!”
“Kira-Prime…?” L mouths silently next to Light.
Light shrugs, pretending he doesn’t understand.
“But…” Misa trails off. “Kira-Prime said she….”
“Hmm?” Light encourages.
“She stopped talked to me. I think she’s mad at me…”
“We can’t have that.” Light supposes, tip toeing. “But your plan was to work together?”
“I figured we’d find each other eventually! And we did!” Misa chirps. “Now we can finish the job like Kira-Prime wants and convert the whole planet!”
Light considers that. “Misa, how were you converted exactly?”
“Oh, well,” Misa laughs, “I got a bouquet of flowers. I get a lot from fans, of course, but Death Notes are especially pretty so I had them in my bedroom and—Well, I bet you can guess!” She laughs again.
“Who sent you the flowers?”
“Kira-Prime organized it, clearly, but—”
“But how?”
“Can’t say I know.” Misa quirks uselessly.
Light grits his teeth.
“She picked me for it, you know,” Misa says proudly, but her tone changes to one of almost frightened embarrassment; “but she’s mad at me now. I’m not doing what she wants. Not fast enough.”
“How many Shi do you have?” Light prods. Redirecting.
“At the agency?” Misa supposes.
“All together.”
“About a thousand. A thousand and a handful.”
It’s not as exact as Light would like.
But it very clearly paints the picture that they’re out numbered.
Light chews his lip.
Glancing—
L meets his gaze sternly.
L seems to be toying with the same options Light is considering.
“We should meet, Misa,” Light decides. “Somewhere…”
He considers.
The best option is a public location. Somewhere with lots of humans where Misa will be disincentivised from trying to kill them. Somewhere with civilians and witnesses.
But—
“I’ve love to see your Hive.” Light says. “The agency.”
L jerks out of his chair and comes to loom over Light fiercely, his whole body vibrating. Light turns towards him, holding his index finger up in warning, as L seems to consider jerking the phone out of his hand.
“That’s a great idea!” Misa agrees.
Of course she agrees.
It’s her playground.
“We’ll be safe there.” Misa says. “I’ll get the interns to get us drinks. It’ll be nice. We’ll do, like, a business plan but for global take over.” Misa giggles. “I know together we can do it.”
“I’m going to bring a few of my Shi, alright?” Light tells her. “I don’t want you to worry. But I don’t really go anywhere without them, of course, so—”
“No, no, that’s fine.” Misa assures. “Bring some of your people. It’s totally fine. We’ve got a big conference room.”
“I’ll get back to you with an exact time, okay?” Light informs her more than asks.
“Sure!” Misa says. “But don’t keep me waiting too long. I’m so excited!”
“Have a lovely night, Misa.”
“Night Light!” She giggles.
Light ends the call.
L yanks the phone out of his hand and hurls it at the wall.
Light gasps—
L grips the arms of the desk chair, hauling him closer as he lowers his face. “Are you insane?”
“She wants to work together.”
“She could be lying.”
“She’s not smart enough to—”
“She outnumbers us three to one.” L spits. “And all of your Hive are in hiding two hours out of the city.”
“If we work together—”
“What? You can take over the planet?”
“The Shi will be safer. Hers and mine.” Light says, raising his voice. “If we work together no one needs to die. We can look after the interests of the species.”
L’s hands are white knuckled on the arms of the chair.
The plastic is starting to whine.
“Are you worried about me or the humans?” Light wonders.
“Both.” L growls.
“Evolution says—”
“Don’t start.”
“Then come with me, to the meeting, keep me safe.” Light invites.
“We don’t know what will happen to the Shi in a confined space with two Kiras.”
“No, we don’t.” Light agrees. ”Let’s find out.”
L drops his head, inhaling sharply.
“The species—” Light whispers, reaching up to cup L’s cheeks gently—
“My brothers are still human.”
“Then I’ll save them.” Light promises, thumbing L’s cheekbone.
“Watari is too old, he…”
“We will protect Watari.” Light nuzzles L’s bent head. “I won’t let anything happen to Watari. To you. To your little brothers. You can all be mine. My family.”
L inhales shakily.
“Come on L,” Light coaxes. “Those people out there? Those humans? You’ve always been better than them. And you can’t go back now. Come forward with me.”
L’s hands ease on the arms of the chair and wrap tight, instead, around Light. Light hushes him, kissing the face L buries in his neck, crooning...
"I love you,” Light promises. “I love you too.”
L shivers.
Light crosses and recrosses his legs in the car as they drive towards the agency. Matsuda is driving but only because Mikami can hardly focus on the road. He keeps looking into the back seat at Light and L. Light wants to reach for L’s hand but that would be childish and with Mikami watching so closely…
“Sayu--?”
“Watari assures me they just emptied Taskforce Headquarters.” L taps his phone. “They’re heading to the safehouse with our things and the other Shi now.”
“And the NPA?”
“The taskforce believe they’ve been dismissed so we can bring in the military for a bigger raid operation.” L supplies. “By the time they realize that’s not true you, Misa and the rest of us need to be at a second location. But we probably have a month before they start raising the flags high enough for someone upstairs to realize there’s trouble.”
Light nods, glancing back out the window.
“Kira,” Mikami asks cautiously, “about this meeting with the other Kira…”
“Yes?” Light prompts.
“Are we sure this is safe for you…?”
“I genuinely believe Misa when she says she wants to collaborate.” Light insists. “Working together will be best for everyone. I don’t know if her Shi would even follow me so…”
“You’re a wonderful specimen, Kira, any Shi would follow you.”
“Thank you, Mikami, but I’m sure Misa’s Shi feel the same about her.”
“There’s another prospect.” L rues.
Light doesn’t look at him.
“There’s a chance that the Shi of rival Kira will be instinctively driven into a frenzy. Like bees. Trying to establish dominance for our respective queens whether you and Misa like it or not.”
“Then I order you to not hurt anyone.” Light snaps, watching the rain hit the window.
An elastic band of tension tightens in the car.
But L’s right.
This could end badly.
They park the car in the on-site parking for the agency building. The Hive. A woman is waiting for them at the elevator. She’s prim, clearly nervous, but upon spotting Light she seems to do a double take. She blinks hard, rubbing at her face as they approach, but gathers herself quickly as they reach her.
“Hello everyone,” she smiles, “and hello Kira.” She tells Light with a broad, enthusiastic smile. Like she wants him to like her.
So he still has some effect on Misa’s Shi…?
“Evening,” Light greets softly, “and you are?”
“I’m Kiyomi, Kira.” She replies. “Thank you so much for coming to see us. I would love to escort you upstairs.”
“That would be much appreciated.” Light folds his hands primly behind his back.
“Do you want to search us?” L supposes.
“Oh no, no,” Kiyomi dismisses with a warm laugh. “That won’t be necessary. We’re all Shi here. You should all feel welcome. Please, follow me. We have refreshments upstairs.”
The building is teeming with Shi.
Light can feel them buzzing through the walls as they take the elevator up to the top floor.
There’s so many of them.
Light wants them.
He wants—
Light shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
Are his instincts going to be an issue?
He can’t get ahead of himself.
He doesn’t know how the Shi will interact with two Kira in the same room. Kiyomi seems to feel submissive to the Kira she has greatest proximity too. So that probably works both ways. But what if there are two Kiras within proximity? What then?
Light needs to focus.
The elevator opens up to a foyer and set of corridors. Kiyomi leads them briskly to a large executive office that has been set up for their private function with food and drinks. Light is taking stock of the twenty Shi milling around the room as he enters flanked by his own supporters.
“Look who I found,” Kiyomi gestures.
Twenty sets of eyes focus sharply on Light and the air in the room shifts.
They’re all staring at him so intently.
So hotly.
So—
“Light!” Misa cheers.
She scrambles up from her place of pride, cocktail glass in her hand, dressed in a trendy little gothic Lolita outfit as she throws her arms around Light’s neck and squeezes him a little too tight.
“You’re younger than I expected,” Misa laughs. “And so handsome! You didn’t tell me that!”
Light laughs weakly, hands on her waist tentatively. “I’m flattered you think so.”
“Come! Come sit!” Misa grab his hand like they’re best friends at a sleep over, dragging him over to the couch.
All twenty-one of Misa’s Shi watch them intently.
All three of Light’s Shi follow closely after them.
But as Light and Misa take the couch Light notes that no violence erupts.
The Shi don’t even seem to notice each other.
They’re all so hyper focused on Light and Misa.
Misa cuddles them against the back of the couch, sipping her cocktail. She’s not watching the Shi. She’s used to their attention. “It’s so nice to meet someone like me.”
“It really is,” Light lies.
Sitting next to her…
Light can’t fight how much he hates her on instinct.
She ruined his life, yes, but…
There’s a throbbing ache inside him.
A deep-seated hunger to crunch her bones.
He swallows, trying to focus himself.
“We’re going to think of the best plan, I just know it,” Misa pets his arm, warm.
Light smiles. “Your Hive is very nice.”
“Would you like a drink?” Misa offers.
“I would love a drink.”
“Hey!” Misa calls over her shoulder. “Get Light a drink!” She snaps her fingers at one of the Shi executives.
Light watches but—
Misa seems to realize Light is still watching the Shi.
Because the Shi hasn’t moved.
“Hey,” Misa pivots again, irritably. “Get my friend a drink, okay?”
The Shi makes eye contact with Light and—
Blinking, something passing over their face, the Shi scurries to fetch the champagne.
Light steals around glance around the room.
“This has been a big change,” Misa starts to tell him. “I mean, as a pop idol, I’m used to people doing what I want. But I’ve never had this much responsibility. It’s scary.”
“Right, it would be.” Light hums, not really paying attention.
The Shi executive hurries up to him. “Kira,” he bows his head, offering Light a champagne flute.
Light takes it, extending his hand, and realizes every Shi in the room is watching his arm.
Light sits back, sipping, and the Shi in the room ease back collectively.
“What about you?” Misa asks, totally ignorant of what’s happening. “What were you like before you turned?”
“Oh, I was an honour student,” Light laughs. “Top scoring student in Japan. I just started college.”
“Wow! Really?” Misa croons. “Oh, that’s good news! You’re really smart then.”
Light tips his head back, taking a gulp.
When he lowers his head he notices how all the Shi look away like they weren’t watching his throat flex with champagne.
Kiyomi is sitting nearby, on the edge of her seat, watching Light.
L meets Light’s gaze across the room.
And they both seem to understand each other.
L nods invisibly.
Light smirks.
“Where did you get infected anyway?” Misa asks.
“At Kiki’s.” Light tells her. “I went out clubbing and….”
“Heh,” Misa giggles. “We can go clubbing together now.”
“Maybe.” Light sips.
Should he…?
He’s starting to understand now.
The Shi care about one thing; the dominant Kira.
He’s not sure how they decide but…
That doesn’t matter.
Light takes another deep gulp of champagne. Schooling his nerves.
“You’re thirsty!” Misa jokes.
Light laughs.
“Do you want another one?” Misa offers.
“I’ll get it,” Light pats her thigh, and climbing off the couch.
Light takes a few steps to the ice bucket where one of Misa’s Shi is quickly drawing out the bottle to pour of him.
Light let’s the man pour his drink.
He takes a sip, glancing back around the room.
All the eyes on him.
And he knows what he wants.
Light clears his throat.
Twenty-four sets of ears perk.
“Kill her.”
Misa stiffens in her seat.
But before she can open her mouth—
There’s a surge of violence.
A flurry of tentacles.
Misa explodes in a collection of gore and lace.
Light leans back against the executive’s desk, sipping his champagne.
His Hive just got a whole lot bigger.