Conservation of Sickness (Death Note) L - M (1/2)

[PetalsAndThorns]

Hello! It has been awhile, hasn't it.

Recently I've been on a kick for all of my old fandoms.

So awhile ago I wrote a fic for Death Note called "Every sniff you take can and will be used against you" starring Light, which can be found here:

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/index.php?showtopic=61541#entry670176

And I happened to notice a lot of L love in the comments, and thought I might write a sequel for all of those looking for some L in their life.

I also noticed that there were some people who read it who either hadn't read Death Note, or hadn't gotten far in it. So! For anyone who doesn't know the fandom, I'll give a very quick rundown in the following spoiler tag. There will be spoilers for up to the Yotsuba arc! (Though no more spoilers than reading the work would give.) So tread with caution.

Light Yagami is a young prodigy with a passion for justice. He finds a shinigami's "Death Note", with instructions reading, "The human whose name is written in this note shall die." Light decides to use the Death Note to cleanse the world of criminals, and becomes a murderer named "Kira". L is a world renown detective, out to catch Kira.

At this point in the story, L almost caught Light. In response, Light gave up his possession of his Death Note. And with it, he lost all memories of being Kira.

Conservation of Sickness

Part 1

Light’s fingers clicked rhythmically over his keyboard, providing a steady backdrop of noise.

“Tzzzchhh!”

“Bless you,” Light said on automatic. The world felt clearer than it had in months. Clearer than it had been even before Light had been put in his cell. Even the screen in front of Light’s eyes seemed to glow stronger. The information flashed faster. But his mind still caught every piece. L’s depression seemed to have kicked off some reverse mirror reflex in Light. Light filled in the space left by L’s lack of energy with vigor he hadn’t felt in months.

No more than a few feet away, the floppy lump calling itself a detective was sitting backwards in his chair and staring drearily out at the metallic paneled walls behind them. One arm draped over the back of his chair, the other acting as a cushion to keep the chair back from cutting into his chin.

“Ryuzaki.”

The chain clinked as L lifted his face from the shelter of his sleeve to look at Light.

“Come look at this.”

There was the squeak of wheels on the floor, and the rustle of a chain, and then L was beside him, still hunched in his patented strange, crouched position backwards in his chair.

“See that?” Light asked, moving aside to make room for L to get a good view of the monitor. “Those spikes? How they mirror that line? This is the timeline of Kira’s killings. And this,” Light slide his finger down the screen, “is the stock value of the Yotsuba Company.”

L scooched his chair a little forward and peered closer at the lines. Light watched L intently for his reaction. The detective’s eyes were still tinted with the shadows of weariness, but for the first time in the last five days they had a hint of the intensity that they’d held before L’s depression struck.

“What do you think?” Light asked, his own heart thumping with excitement.

“…I think that correlation does not equal causation, Yagami-kun…” L said slowly. He gave a wet sniff, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and reached out to take hold of Light’s mouse. “There are 24 major corporations in Tokyo alone. 80 in Japan. If you look hard enough, you’ll find a similar pattern eventually.”

Light worked to keep the little pulse of agitation from dripping into his voice.

“Even so,” he managed to keep his tone level. “This could be our first lead!”

L was clicking through the graphs that Light had asked Matsuda to draw up.

“We have a track, there’s no reason not to follow it!” Light exaggerated the excitement in his own voice in the hopes of drawing a similar response from L. The attempt however, was wholly unsuccessful. The brief flash of intensity was fading from L’s eyes. And his large, black pupils were glazing over once more beneath the light of the screen.

“There are many reasons not to follow it.” L’s hand slid from the mouse, and he sank his face back into the cushion of his sleeve. “If you’re lost in the woods and follow the first track you find, you’re more likely to starve to death than to find your way back to safety.”

The irony of the comment was not lost on Light, as L looked like the last time he’d seen the sun or a tree had been at least ten years ago. Let alone a forest big enough to get lost in.

“Well, standing around isn’t going to get you back to safety either. Not moving, by definition, will get you nowhere.”

“You shouldn’t try to be uplifting, Yagami-kun. You just sound sugary and stupid.”

The absolute blunt nature of the comment caught Light completely off guard and knocked any reply he might have had from his mouth. Before he’d figured out his next move however, L sucked in a breath beside him. His shoulders jerked and he buried his face in his arm.

“Hhhhh—ttzzzcchhh!” L’s body trembled as the sneeze passed through.

“Bless. What do you mean I say stupid things?”

L shifted his head to wipe his nose again on his sleeve, before sinking his face back down into it.

“If you’re lost and you walk down the wrong path, you lose energy with every step you take. And the further you go, the more you lose track of where you started. Standing still until you have a clear plan… conserves… Hhhhh—Tttzzzshhh!­ – conserves energy.”

“Bless. What makes a path worth following then?”

“The probabilities need to line up.”

“The probabilities need to line up?”

“Yes, the probabilities. They need to be…” L pushed himself up in his chair, and made an awkward sweeping motion with his hands, one higher than the other. “But they’re not.” He flopped back forward onto the weight of his chair. “They’re just…” L blew a raspberry with his tongue.

“Right then… I’ll be on the lookout for probabilities that are…” Light made a half-hearted attempt at repeating L’s hand motions.

“Good,” L mumbled into his sleeve.

“I don’t suppose… that maybe… you could be a little more specific?”

“I have been…” A pause, followed by a stuttering breath. “Hhh—hhhihhtttzzzchhhnng!— very specific, Yagami-kun,” A touch of irritated petulance was creeping into L’s tone.

“Bless… Are you feeling alright, Ryuzaki?”

“I am depressed. I informed you of this in Misa’s room.”

“You did. But it sounds like you might be coming down with something.”

L’s shoulders rose in a shrug, and then drooped heavily back down again.

“Should we maybe go to a room?” Light had yet to see L sleep aside from taking short naps crouched in his chair. L shook his head.

“I slept 18 hours ago.”

“…Most people would sleep again at this point.”

“I run on a 28 hour schedule.”

“Even so, whenever your next sleep… cycle comes. Doing it in a bed instead of a chair could be nice.”

“Yagami-kun?”

“Yes.”

“Shut up and get back to work.”

~*~*~

“Hhhihhh—ttTTZZSsshh!” L’s shoulder’s trembled with the wet explosion. A few hours earlier Watari had come by and draped a grey fleece blanket over L’s shoulders, which he now tugged tighter. It engulfed his torso like a soft, badly sewn cape. L sniffed wetly and wiped his nose against his shoulder.

Light pulled a tissue from the box between them and offered it to L.

“When illness hits you, it doesn’t joke around, does it?” he asked. L accepted the tissues and massaged his nose through it with a grimace, swallowing thickly. Light had thought his illness in his cell had been akin to some form of torture. But it hadn’t been all that bad, really. It has just been the fact that he couldn’t move his hands that made it difficult. But watching L slowly melting into his seat in a puddle of sniffles, wet rattling coughs, and ever darkening circles beneath his eyes made what Light had experienced in his cell look insignificant.

“Save the brilliant deductions for the case, Yagami-kun,” L said thickly. He returned his attention the desk before him, where over the past five hours he’d amassed a small apartment complex constructed entirely of toothpicks.

“Do you think we should call a—”

“Hhhhuhh—TTZZSSHHhhiiuu!” L pitched to the side before he had a chance to drop the next toothpick in place. A ruffle of shifting cloth, a sniff.

“Bless.”

“This is completely normal for me, Yagami-kun. Please proceed as normalhhh…hhhh-TTZZSCHHhh!”

“Bless.” Light repeated, tugging out another tissue to offer up.

“God complex.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a psychological condition in which one believes they are god.” L selected a new toothpick and lined it up to drop it in place.

“So I gathered from the name… Is it relevant?”

“Hhih-TTIHZZZsshhhiuuu!”

“Bless.”

“That.”

“Excuse me?”

“That. You cannot let one go by without blessing it, can you?”

“I…” Light faltered. “It’s polite.”

“It’s a power trip. You need to do it to exert control over the situation. Your attempts at asserting control by sending me to a room have all fai… Hhhuhh---Hhiia-TTZZZSHhhhiu!”

“Ble—”

L hid a lopsided smile badly beneath a tissue.

“You didn’t even mean to do that, did you?” he asked. “It just happened.”

“It’s polite,” Light pressed, turning his attention back to the monitor. “I was raised with manners.”

“And a God complex.”

“So my blessing manners make me Kira now too? Tell me, L, is there anything that doesn’t make me Kira? Aside from, oh say, the entire swath of killings that took place while I was in your custody?”

“Just because evidence at one point indicates that x is not true, does not mean that x was not previously true.”

“You are impossible.”

“And you are defensive.”

“I’m not defensive!”

“Say it louder Yagami-kun. Someone gullible might belihhh—Hhhhiihh—TTZZCCHhhiu!”

“Bless.”

L quirked an eyebrow at Light.

“I refuse to alter my patterns to fight your paranoia.”

“Fifty three percent likelihood.” L had given up his tower building, and now twirled the toothpick idly in his fingers. L didn’t need to specify what likelihood he was referring to at this point.

“The last percent you gave me was seven.”

“Compulsive need to correct people. Sixty eight percent.”

“Now you’re just making up numbers.”

“Seventy three point eight five nine percent.”

“I’m not listening to this.”

“Seventy eight point one five nine.”

“This is over, Ryuzaki.”

“Three point one four one five nine two six five…”

“Now you’re listing off pi.”

“Two point seven one eight two eight one eight…”

“That’s e. Ryuzaki, you need sleep.”

But Ryuzaki seemed to have finally found a way to keep himself amused. He wrapped his arms around his chest, the blanket hanging over them like the cape of a sleeping vampire. He continued to mutter numbers into the fluffy grey folds, his head tucked wearily on his chest, though a small, dopey smile was plastered across his lips.

“…Ryuzaki…?” Light had stopped typing and was watching L intently at this point. L broke his muttered numbers to giggle to himself at some invisible joke.

“…You’re actually starting to worry me…”

“…two eight four -snicker- five nine…”

“…Ryuzaki, I’m going to call Watari now.”

“…zero four five two three…”

~*~*~

L was still listing numbers by the time Watari arrived, the metal door sliding shut behind him as he calmly made his way over to the desk where Light and L were sitting.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Light said. “I just…” He turned helplessly toward the muttering detective crouching in his chair beside him. “I’ve been trying to get him to take a break all day, but…”

Watari lowered himself to one knee beside L’s chair.

“L.” Watari’s fragile, aged voice somehow held all of the confidence that Light’s lacked. “I’m going to take you to bed now.”

L’s giggling delirium broke into haughty irritation, and he fixed the elder gentleman with a glare. “I am in the middle of a case, Watari.” The petulance that had been hinted at in his earlier refusals to go to sleep were no longer hiding behind false faces of maturity. His scowl was an open invitation for Watari to argue. Light was still having trouble reconciling this childish, stubborn person with the brilliant detective who had imprisoned him for months just a few weeks ago. Watari on the other hand, seemed not in the least surprised by L’s attitude. He simply replied with one word.

“Madison.”

The change that came over L was instant. The petulance drained from his face and the confidence seeped from his shoulders. His eyes broke from Watari’s, the lines deepening on his ashen face. It was like watching a punctured blow up castle deflate.

Watari reached out and placed a hand on L’s shoulder. “I’m going to take you to your room now.”

Though L was still frowning when Watari touched his shoulder to help him up, L didn’t resist.

“Is he…?” Light started.

“He’s fine,” Watari reassured him, keeping a hand on L’s shoulder as the detective’s weight fell unsteadily onto his feet. “It is impossible to get him to rest until he reaches this point. This is normal. Please do not be concerned.”

“I’ll do my best…” Light muttered.

“If you’d come as well, Yagami-san, I can bring a laptop to the room for you.”

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

I loved the "Every Sniff You Take Will Be Held Against You". DeathNote has a special place in my heart as the first anime i've watched so this really made my day I hope you continue this fic

[Melody]

Oh. my. god. This is so perfect!! L's and lights banter is sooo cute! And the way you wrote Watari... oh my god this fic is amazing!! I hope you contine because that would be really great

[happybunny]

Long time since I've read Death Note! I forgot that "Ryuzaki" was L's name! I had to Google search some charachters again. lol

This is looking great so far. I always imagined L sick. He's such a cutie as it is...

Keep it up!

[Arty]

Ah!!! Sick L? I mean it's the perfect scenario! !!

[alias]

YAAAAAAAAAAS!!! I love this SO MUCH! I saw the thread and freaked out and as I clicked it I thought "Oh man please be good please be good please be good..." BOY WAS IT GOOD! This whole story had me beaming at my computer screen like a major dork. Duuuude this is so great. I absolutely ADORE the banter between Light and L. It is so freakin perfect and spot on, delightfully in-character, and quite funny. That whole God Complex conversation is just the best. And HNGAHHHH you made sick L so cute!!!! All hunched over in his little chair. Eeeeeeee I just want to cuddle him!!! You've certainly brought out my inner fangirl.
My favorite parts:

“Should we maybe go to a room?” Light had yet to see L sleep aside from taking short naps crouched in his chair. L shook his head.
“I slept 18 hours ago.”
“…Most people would sleep again at this point.”

“That. You cannot let one go by without blessing it, can you?”
“I…” Light faltered. “It’s polite.”
“It’s a power trip. You need to do it to exert control over the situation. Your attempts at asserting control by sending me to a room have all fai… Hhhuhh---Hhiia-TTZZZSHhhhiu!”

I can't wait for the second part. Awesome writing, PetalsAndThorns.

[shingetsu]

THIS THIS I CANT EVEN--

“I was raised with manners.”
“And a God complex.”

This line cracked me up like you wouldn't believe. I LOVED it, I loved the entire thing.. L's sneezes were the cutest thing ever... But, but L, Light's constant blesses made me really happy, god complex or not

I really, really, REALLY look forward to the next chapter... like REALLY~

PS: Who's Madison? :OO Did I miss a chapter somewhere??