Only Human [Death Note]

Chapter 6: Caffeine

Anger. Jealousy. Betrayal.

Lawliet watched the screen in front of him. The scone he had been eating beforehand was a melting mess on the floor, his hands in clenched fists to stop himself from striking the computers.

Her erotic sounds echoed throughout the room as Light Yagami pleasured her in ways Lawliet could not.

Chief Yagami paced the living room, trying to ignore it. "I can't believe my well behaved son would do this! For God sake, his mother and sister are still in the house! He would never-!"

"Sometimes the people we think we know aren't who they seem." L murmured, a faraway look in his dark eyes.

Above all the feelings he felt right now, hurt was the emotion that suffocated him the most. His breathing became heavier as she became louder. His nails dug deeper into his palms as Light buried himself further into her. His heart became colder as she revealed her true self to someone other than him.

The screen suddenly went dark. Watari grasped the remote in his hand, ending the torture. "I'll take over. Take a break, Ryuzaki."

L nodded with a blank expression. "Call Reina and tell her to come back with a report on her discoveries."

With that, he got up and walked away. He didn't realize where his body had carried him until he found himself in her room. A single candle illuminated the walls, Reina always afraid of the dark which led her to take extra precautions in case the power were to go out. He chuckled to himself. Typical.

A ghost of a smile reached his lips, seeing the photograph on the nightstand. It showed the entrance of the orphanage they lived in back when they were young. He was carrying her small body on his back, struggling to carry her squirming self. The rest of the children crowded around them. Everyone grinned at the camera.

He wished to go back to the time when he was protecting her from those bullies who envied her. She was the perfect princess with her knight in shining armor stuck by her side. Her smile was real and she was truly happy.

Key word: Was

Now, he could see the light in her eyes dimming. Her forced smile around him, trying to maintain the façade that she was not dying inside. He could tell that with every passing day, a piece of her is lost. He feared that one day, he would look at her face and not recognize the person in front of him.

Watari once said to dispose of anything that might reveal their true identities.

As usual, she never listens.

Holding the photograph above the flame, he watched as it was consumed by flaring orange. The memory disappeared, with only ashes remaining.

The old times are gone. He thought to himself, making his way out the door. Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment... until it becomes a memory.

At that moment, Lawliet wished he had valued their times together, the distance between them growing with every step he took.

~*~

"So here's the deal." Reina began, pausing to take a sip from her hot drink.

The strong smell of caffeine and cocoa beans were heavy in the air. Chatter and the sound of life surrounded them. The coffee shop had just been a few minutes walk from the house.

"Kira."

He laughed. "You must not be completely sober."

"I can smell your fear." She giggled, biting her lip. "Let's go somewhere we don't have an audience. Then we'll talk."