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Light wasn’t sure when or even why it started, but he often found himself acting somewhat childishly; a stark contrast to his upstanding and mature persona. It was easy enough to live with it when he resided in his own, personal room, a safe haven of privacy where he could relax and not have to worry about how he was being perceived. He had allowed himself few guilty pleasures, such as a stuffed dog from his childhood that he still slept with in secret, but that was the extent of it. It was a way to relieve stress, nothing more, he tried convincing himself. Since he had found the death note and Ryuk showed himself, he hadn’t felt safe enough to relax (especially with the shinigami around). This in and of itself was not the worst thing in the world, he would become God of the new world and live as he pleased. No, he wasn’t worried at all. That was until he volunteered for a period of captivity.
He hadn’t expected it to be so long; ever the optimistic, Light had never bet on it lasting over fifty days. The concrete floor seeped all the heat from his body, chilling him to the bone. He couldn’t remember why he had done this, in fact, he couldn’t even remember much of the past few months. Eventually, his resolve began to crack and he begged for L to believe him. It never worked. Even then, Light steeled himself, refusing to cry like a child no matter how much he felt like one. He was a Yagami and Yagami men do not cry, especially after surrendering themselves. Every time Light found himself slipping, he would bite his tongue until the thought was overcome by the dull pain and copper taste.
~~~
There was something different, L could feel it in his gut, but surface-level observation stated otherwise. It had come as quite a shock when famous model, Misa Amane, had suddenly lost all memory of where she was and what she was doing in the facility. To make matters worse, L’s prime suspect befell the same phenomenon. No, that was not the issue, he could easily overcome this inconvenience. The issue was something else began to change and he could not tell what. That irritated the detective in a way he had never experienced.
~~~
Light hung his head on his knees while attempting to stretch his shoulders, keeping them bound behind his back had taken its toll. He tended to sit like this when he felt as though he would cry, as if the pressure on his eyes would push his exhaustion back into his tear ducts.
‘Yeah right’, he thought to himself and almost laughed.
Light pushed himself up to stand as best he could before laying on his pathetic excuse of a bed, purposefully facing away from the camera. If he had to guess, it must have been somewhere between six and seven which meant dinner would be delivered soon. Promises of food churned his stomach. The once healthy young man had gradually lost weight, not much, but enough to make his stomach shrink. Despite knowing that sleeping now would further throw off his internal clock, he was too tired to care. He was always tired now.
~~~
L’s eye twitched as he watched the video feed of the young man facing the wall. That position couldn’t possibly be comfortable with Light laying on sore and misplaced shoulders, but somehow he made it seem effortless. The only indication of discomfort was the slight twitch of his fingers.
He had already discussed Light’s and Misa Amane’s discharge from their cells due to Kira’s resurgence while they were observed. Chief Yagami displayed his absolute distaste but agreed knowing that it would be the only way L would release them. L had assured their safety, bugging the car to have his own eyes witness whatever was to transpire. Even he was taken aback by Light’s reaction, something he had never witnessed in his months of observing him both in and outside his home. The yelling, begging for his life, and pleading for his father to believe in his innocence. It was… unsettling. He had no valid excuse to keep the pair confined given their mundane reactions to a private execution. However, the detective was not convinced, not even in the slightest. Then came the handcuffs.