Bean

Chapter 15: The Musings of a God

A metallic creak and a hollow clang reverberated throughout the near-empty locker room, the remnants of the sound hanging heavily in the silence that followed. Light Yagami's hand lingered on the painted steel, almost level with his downcast eyes, and a rigid pensiveness overcast his otherwise impassive expression. He knew he couldn't afford another reckless move like he'd made with Lind L. Tailor or another careless oversight like Naomi Misora. Those mistakes had cost him dearly, and another one could very well cost him his life.

Light's jaw clenched subtly as he shut his eyes beneath a furrowed brow.

L... you humiliated me! You must feel pretty proud of yourself. Well, enjoy it! It's not going to last very long. I WILL win, and when this is all over, I will be the one who will become god of a new world that everyone desires... and all those who would oppose that god, they are the ones that are truly evil! And that includes you... L. It's only a matter of time...

His eyes opened, and his head lifted, his lips curling upward in a contemptuous simper. Shoving his hand against the locker and stepping backwards, he bent to pick up the bag containing his tennis racket before exiting through the doors to the outside.

L sat in his odd manner on a bench outside the gymnasium. He held a cell phone to his ear using only his first finger and thumb, and he looked over as Light exited the building. Speaking in Russian, he made some parting remarks before hanging up.

And not far away, Bean sat up on his knees to plunk his index finger down on the laptop keyboard, concluding the call on his end. He was grinning impishly around the drawstring in his teeth, feeling quite important sitting in his papa's chair and using his headset, which was incidentally far too big for his little inky-haired head.

He held the hoodie string to his mouth for a moment, moving his top teeth side-to-side against its plastic end. Then his gaze shifted to the kitchen, and his grin became a little more mischievous. Turning back to the laptop, Bennett dragged his middle fingertip along the mousepad, then tapped it twice.

A few seconds later, Watari's phone rang. The old man set down the cookie cutter he was using to shape shortbread pastries and reached for a dishtowel before picking up his phone. He briefly furrowed his brow when he saw where the call was coming from, but his expression quickly softened into one of fondness and amusement. He cleared his throat and answered in a dignified tone. "This is Watari."

A robotic, synthetic voice replied, only slightly out of sync with the small voice coming from the living room.

"This is... Bean." The snicker that followed sounded awfully strange layered with the cybernetic alteration.

"Bean?" Watari calmly questioned. "Hmm..." He pretended to think for a moment, then sighed. "Well, the only Bean I can think of is the one who isn't supposed to be playing with his papa's voice synthesizer..."

There was silence. And then the call ended.

Watari chuckled and returned the phone to his pocket.

Meanwhile, L slid his own mobile phone into his jeans pocket as Light approached him.

"Ah, hello, Light," he greeted casually. One knee remained bent as the other bare foot lowered to wriggle itself into a worn-out, backless shoe. He stood up, and the second foot followed suite.

"Hey, Ryuga," Light responded, his tone just as casual and even a little more lighthearted. He stopped walking and waited while L shimmied into his sneakers. "I have to admit, I was surprised... I never thought you'd ask me to play tennis as a way to get to know each other."

"Is it a problem for you?" L asked in a deadpan tone. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up from his shoes, his sunken gaze dull and emotionless.

"Not at all!" Light was quick to respond, his words laced with a chuckle. "I'm actually really looking forward to it."

L looked back down as he picked up the racket that had been lying on the bench beside him. "So am I. Shall we?" He used the racket to lazily gesture forward, and the two started towards the tennis courts.

After a moment of silence accompanied by their nearly synchronized footsteps, Light spoke up. "...so you speak Russian?" he observed.

That's right. Just make casual conversation. If you're too quiet, you'll definitely come across as suspicious.

"Yes." L's eyes remained ahead as he walked, one hand tucked loosely in his jeans pocket and the other delicately holding the racket upside-down by the tip of its handle at his side. "I was talking to my son."

Light's eyes shifted sideways toward L.

He has a son?? Well, L... you certainly are full of surprises... If I ask him if he's Russian, would he think I'm trying to find out more about him because I'm Kira? ...oh well. Can't hurt to try."

"Ryuga, are you originally from Russia?"

"No, I'm not," L replied simply. He did not elaborate, and Light did not press further.

They reached the tennis courts and stopped at a bench so Light could retrieve his racket from its zipped case.

"So," he began, standing upright again, "when you first invited me to play, did you know how good I was?"

"Yes," L answered dismissively as they started walking toward an available court. "I'll be fine, though. It's been awhile, but at one time, I was actually the British junior champion."

Light's eyes narrowed a bit.

So... is he British? At this point, I'm actually just curious. However, anything I say could be scrutinized and taken as me just trying to get information. Then again... it's a perfectly normal question to ask. If I'm overly cautious, that could work against me as well. Best not to overthink. We're just two college students getting to know one another...

"So... were you raised in the UK?" he inquired.

"I lived in England for about five years when I was younger," L replied, his shadowed gaze remaining straight ahead. "But save your breath. Nothing in that story, or the one involving my son, would reveal L's true identity, I promise you."

Light's pride was a bit pricked by that statement, and he looked away with a subtle sniff.

Oh. Is that so? You seem awfully sure of yourself, L... Well, I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?

As they reached the vacant court, Light cracked his neck and loosened up his arms as L shuffled his way over to the other side of the net.

And nearby, a low and airy cackle emitted from a grinning mouth below a pair of unblinking red and yellow eyes. It was a sound that only Light Yagami could hear, and it came from a being that he alone could see; for Kira's powers were not his own, but those of a shinigami... a god of death, a grim reaper, and the owner of a Notebook that could end a human's life by simply writing their name while picturing their face. It was both the terrifying reality that L had yet to become aware of and the paramount ace up Light Yagami's sleeve.

The tennis match commenced, and the gangly shinigami Ryuk chortled again, his amusement highly piqued. He himself had no regard for justice, no concern for who might win in this battle of wits between Kira and the great detective L. It was all a delightful little game to him, and so there he stood on the sidelines with his lazily hanging arms and grotesquely jagged grin, watching everything unfold with wide-eyed beguilement as he mused blithely to himself...

Humans are so interesting!