Title: Enemy of the State

Author: hyperRme

Summary: The Shinigami are a notorious gang who kill criminals in the most mysterious ways. L is determined to take them down even if it means going undercover as a member and unintentionally falling in love with their leader.

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rated: Mature

Pairing: L X Raito

Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata. I am neither one.

Warnings: Guy on guy romance, rape, death, kidnappings, etc. There are mentions of Light X Teru but I assure you it's one sided only. I'm personally not a fan of the pairing.

Oh my gosh! What is this? Is it a new story? Why yes it is! Welcome to Enemy of the State! An AU story that's angsty, drama-filled, romance laced, and spoiler free. If you're looking for the fun filled comedy that An Apple a Day was, you're looking in the wrong spot. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't read it though!

Each chapter starts off with a small flashback to Light's past and they are not in order. They go along with the chapter as does the song title that the chapters are named after.

Please read and enjoy. Don't forget to send a review!

Get Ready to Die - Andrew W.K.

This is your time to pay,
This is your judgement day,
We made a sacrifice,
And now we get to take your life.

Seventeen year old Light's eyes widened as he read the rules. He felt Teru against his back as he read over his shoulder. "The person whose name is written in his book shall die?" the older boy scoffed. "Toss it out, Light. It's obviously a load of shit."

Light looked over his shoulder with a small smirk, "Oh? Would you like me to write your name down, Teru Mikami?"

Teru's brown eyes widened and he shook his head quickly, "Fuck no." Light's smirk increased and Teru cursed. 'Come on, it's fake. There's no way there's such thing as a killer notebook."

Light looked down at the black notebook. It was slightly battered and some of the pages were torn but not marked. He had to admit, it was a very boring looking notebook. Most people would have walked by it without a single glance or thought. Normally, Light would have as well. It looked like trash sitting innocently in the middle of an empty alleyway. It was trash sitting innocently in the middle of an empty alleyway. But he was drawn to it nevertheless. It was like the little angel and devil on his shoulders were both in agreement to pick up that notebook.

He never expected it to be titled 'Death Note' with rules on how to kill people using said notebook.

"All right. Let's try it out on someone else."

"But Light, it's gotta be fake. I mean it's a freaking notebook in the middle of a fucking alleyway! You don't find shit like that!"

"You won't know until you try."

Light scanned the busy streets of Tokyo, spotting high school girls skipping class with a cigarette between their fingers, shady looking men looking through a magazine with a barely covered girl in a suggestive pose on the front, a mother scolding her defiant two year old, and a middle aged man reaching into a woman's purse. Light narrowed his eyes. The man carefully extracted a small purple wallet and grinned to himself as he snuck out of the crowd, just in time as the light turned green and the women walked across the street. Light followed him, startling Teru. The man walked swiftly, swerving in and out of the crowd. Light kept his full attention on him, ignoring every complaint out of his companion's mouth. The man stopped two blocks down in an alleyway, the wallet safely in his pocket.

"Excuse me, sir?" Light asked in his most mature tone. The man jumped and turned his beady eyes to him. "I have a few questions to ask you, if you don't mind. It's for a school opinion poll. May I have your name?"

The guy was shifting his weight, looking around him, as if there was a cop nearby who may overhear. "Touya Shika." Light nodded, scribbling the name down.

"What is your opinion of crime, sir?"

"Uhhh… it's a really bad thing. Don't do it," the man answered, his mind and eyes on the people around them.

"Is that so? Then why did you steal from that woman's purse?"

Touya Shika snapped his attention to him and growled, his face furious. Teru quietly took a step back, tugging on Light's beat up brown jacket. "You little fucker!"

Light quietly counted down the seconds as the man rolled up the sleeves of his coat and took a step forward. "One," he said. Touya Shika halted in his steps as his heart gave a powerful lunge. He looked up, terror bright in his grey eyes, as the pain in his chest increased. His knees collapsed, his hands were grasping the fabric near his heart, and his face was paling quickly. As his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he toppled forward and smacked harshly onto the pavement.

Teru's breaths were fast and short. "Is he…?" Light reached to his neck and felt no pulse. He nodded and Teru crumpled against a brick building. "Oh shit… oh fuck… what the hell did we just do?"

Light reached into his pocket and pulled out the women's wallet. He held it up for his companion to see, "He stole. He is a criminal. Therefore, he deserves to die."

Teru's body slowly started to relax as his mind caught up with the situation, "He does deserve to die…"

Light nodded and pocketed the wallet. He headed west, toward the police station.

"They all deserve to die, Teru."

Trust. How could such a small word hold such a strong feeling in his heart? Trust had betrayed him many times. He had trusted the old man who regularly gave him leftovers from his restaurant until he realized that he was expected to pay him back with his body. He had trusted the sweet, hungry child who secretly had an accomplice going through his pockets as he broke his only loaf of bread. But most importantly, he had trusted the "police officer" so many years ago when he said his father was badly hurt. He did not suspect that once he got into that cop car, his life would never be the same again.

He supposed there were people who he … respected for lack of a better word. Teru, the only one who had never turned his back on him and who helped organized the Shinigami, was someone he could rely on in hard times. He didn't trust him not to seduce him or tear his clothes off at night but he was always the first to help.

He respected Matt. He was the fastest hacker he had ever seen and held no qualms or revenge on anyone. He hid his secrets though and he didn't know if those secrets were powerful enough to one day make him crack.

All the other Shinigamis could not be trusted. They were criminals, after all. He smirked with a soft 'hnn'. Well, if they were criminals, then what was he, leader of these Shinigami?

"Light-sama?"

He opened his eyes and faced Teru, quietly awaiting his next order.

He was a blessing in disguise.

" Forty heart attacks in Tokyo Jail"

"Mysterious Criminal Deaths"

"Just who is Kira?"

"Is Kira Responsible? –The People Demand Answers"

"Kira- the Leader of the Shinigami"

"Kira Rules over Killer Group"

"Popular Idol, Misa Amane, Swears in Her Allegiance to Kira and Shinigami"

"Misa Amane Defends Shinigami"

"Misa Amane Says Criminals Deserve to Die"

"Tokyo News Anchor Kiyomi Takada Pro-Shinigami"

"Kiyomi Takada Spreads Kira's Message"

"Criminal Deaths Skyrocket"

"Poll Shows Criminal Acts Decreasing"

"The Heated Debate: Is the Shinigami Doing the Right Thing?"

Light skimmed over the headlines with a small, satisfied smile. He flipped a page in his scrapbook to find the headline from today's newspaper. "Shinigami's Followers Increasing Rapidly" Was it really just two short years ago that he had found the Death Note? Who knew his dream would rocket the way it did? Thanks to Misa and Kiyomi, his message was well sent and well received. He gently closed the scrapbook and tucked it under his double sized mattress. They were a small group, Misa, Kiyomi, Matt, Teru, Raye, and himself, but he enjoyed it just the way it was.

Glancing quickly at his desk, Light opened his door and walked into the hallway. Teru was in his room, his door wide open in case he was needed, scribbling away on a plain notebook. He glanced up at the sound of footsteps. "Light-sama?" he called.

"Yes, Teru?"

"I've been thinking that we should increase global purification." Light halted and listened. "We've been really focused on Japan and the United States but they're been a lot of attacks in England. Maybe we should start reading up on global news?"

Light nodded, "All right. I want you to research and send me possible cases, understand?"

Teru grinned brightly, his pen gripped tightly in his hand, "Yes, Light-sama. I'll get right on it." He suddenly looked down, his face growing a soft shade of pink, "Um, Light-sama, I was wondering if maybe tonight I could… help you relieve some stress…" He pushed his black rectangular glasses up his nose nervously.

Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes and continued walking. He should have known. "No, Teru. I'm very busy tonight. Why don't you ask Takada?"

He could hear Teru gagging at the mere thought of touching the anchorwoman. Light didn't blame him. He picked up his speed as his second in command called after him. He turned the corner and walked down the stairs. The calls soon stopped.

Misa was in the kitchen, reading a magazine article. The cover was a giant photo of her smiling face. He knew she was reading her article. Next to her sat Raye, a newcomer. He glanced up at Light as he walked into the room and quickly looked down, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Light didn't trust him at all. Teru told him to give him some time to relax and open up; he was hanging out with a bunch of killers after all. But Light found it strange how much Raye begged to be in the Shinigami, proclaiming his devotion to Kira and his goals, only to completely shut off from the group when he was accepted. He spent more time avoiding their eyes than anything else.

Misa glanced up as he walked by. "Light-sama!!"

He glanced over at her, "Yes, Misa?"

"Misa-Misa has an interview with 'Teen Street Magazine' tonight and then another one tomorrow with 'Star's Opinion'!"

"Good, good. I know you won't fail to mention Kira's message."

"I never do, Light-sama!" Misa cheered. "I think Misa-Misa should be rewarded with a kiss, nee?"

Before Light could open his mouth to tell her off, a voice behind him beat him to it. "Misa-Misa should be rewarded with a good kick in the head."

Misa pouted, "Matt-kun is so cruel! Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you. Put that game down!"

Matt glanced up quickly, his green eyes hidden behind tinted goggles, and then returned to his DS. "What's up, Light?"

Light smiled. He liked Matt the most of the group. He was the only one who didn't treat him as if he were made of glass. "Matt, what are you doing out of your room? Isn't the sunlight hurting your eyes?"

The gamer looked up at him, a faint smile resting on his lips, "Look at that. Mr. Pole-Up-My-Ass Light just made a funny."

Raye flinched and Misa gasped, "Matt-kun! Don't say such things to Light-sama!"

"I decided a change of view would be nice," Matt continued, ignoring the blond girl. "That and my cigarette count is low. Do we have any in here?"

"We don't. I'm going out; want me to pick you up a pack?"

"Or three? Yeah, that'll be cool." He fished through the pockets in his jeans and pulled out twenty dollars. He handed it to Light. "Don't forget to give me the change back." He walked to the cabinets and began rummaging through them. "We got anything good?"

"There's some Oreo's in the back."

"Sweet," Matt grinned and reached farther, standing on the tops of his toes. "Yo, where's the stuck up princess? At work?"

"Kiyomi got called in for an important meeting," Misa answered. She grinned at Light, "I think it had something to do with Shinigami."

"Jack pot!" The red head turned around, a package of Oreo's in his hand. He yanked off the cover and shoved two in his mouth. "Nothing better than creamy goodness sandwiched between two awesome cookies, that's what I always say." He looked at Light and snapped his fingers. "Yo, Oreo's can only get me so far. My nicotine craving is killing me. Hop to it. Chop, chop!"

Light laughed, grabbing an apple, and left through the front door. "All right, all right, keep your knickers on." He closed it softly behind him and walked off the front porch. The leaves on the trees were a bright orange and crunched noisily under his feet. He watched a group of teens jump into a giant pile of leaves not too far off from the science building and frowned. He was never a big fan of the fall. He didn't like the mess the leaves made.

The campus was busy this time of day. The students sat around the large grass areas, books scattered before them, and others were running, late to class once again. A group of older students waved at Light and he waved back, recognizing them as his next door neighbors.

Turning out of the campus, Light spotted the city police station. He noticed that no panicking citizens were entering and no cars were speeding out of the garage. His silently congratulated himself and made a quick right into a small alleyway next to the station. There were others in that small strip between the station and the bakery. The brown brick wall of the bakery was bare and the white wall of the police station was dyed in a splatter of color. There were words, so many words, in all sizes and colors. Words of praise, words of redemption, words of corruption, words of hope, of dreams, of fear, of sorrow: all written on the wall of a police station. Five citizens were writing on the wall with permanent markers and spray paint. A small group was reading the wall, their eyes constantly moving, trying to take it all in. There was a small girl, about the age of six, staring at the wall. She turned to Light and gave him a tooth-less smile. She looked back to the wall and pressed her hand against it, right on the words 'Donald McRoy: Child Molester'

Light walked farther into the alleyway and looked at the wall. His eyes skimmed over the words, trying to find any recent works. His studied them, memorizing each name easily. He remembered the ones who he had killed and the ones who did not deserve to die yet were on the wall anyway. He frowned at the thought. Who writes the name of a single mother on a wall for Kira? That's just sick.

He saw an elder woman with a very grandmotherly look walk toward him. She smiled sadly at him. "I see you often here. Are you asking Kira to help you?"

He nodded, "I was kidnapped a long time ago and those kidnappers are still out there. I want them punished."

"Oh you poor dear!" the old woman gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "That's horrible. Don't you worry any longer; Kira will punish them for you. I know he will. See that name right there?" she asked, pointing to the name 'Ryo Ashita'. Light nodded, remembering him very well. "He murdered two of my grandchildren. I asked Kira to punish him and the next day he was dead." She smiled at him. "Kira is a wonderful god. He will help anyone who asks. I come here often to pray for those who have not been given justice yet. I shall pray for you too, my dear."

Light smiled and gently placed his red apple in her wrinkled hands, "Thank you."

The crickets were loud outside and Teru's snores were even louder. Light silently glared at the naked man from his seat at his desk. He should have kicked him out the moment he was done with him. He sighed and spun in his chair, facing his laptop. He cursed at himself once more. Leading Teru on wasn't the greatest idea. No, scratch that. He told him every time they fucked that this was casual sex and nothing more and would never be anything more. But despite the disclaimer, Teru's eyes would grow wide, happiness pouring from every pore. And Light couldn't bring himself to care because he had too much frustration and just had to let it out right at that very moment. Next time, he thought, he'll just say no and look up porn or buy a punching bag.

Shaking all negative thoughts from his head, Light recalled the new names on Kira's Wall. He typed each name into the police's database he had hacked into and pulled up their info. He skimmed over each one and would make his decision based on the information. He glanced backwards at Teru, to make sure he was still asleep, before he opened the top drawer of his desk. He pulled out the black notebook with the title 'Death Note' written on it in white. He reached for a pen and unscrewed it, taking out cartridge. He felt underneath the bottom of the drawer until he found a small hole. He shoved the cartridge into the hole and lifted up a fake bottom. With a grin that could scare away a growling dog, Light pulled out another black notebook. He laid both on his desk and began to write.

An hour later, he stopped and stretched. His hand was beginning to cramp. Light glanced down at the notebooks, both exactly the same down to the very t's he crossed. He pulled up a kidnapper's information. He glared at his photo. He wasn't one of them. The images of his kidnappers were very clear in his memory. They were his clearest memories. He had to remember that the fact that they were his clearest memories wasn't saying much at all. He didn't have that many memories to be clear after all. Most of them were one big giant ball of fuzz that attacked his mind every so often, leaving him angry, dazed, and confused.

He slipped the Death Note under the false backboard and placed the replica on top. Light looked back at Teru, his snores long stopped as he entered his REM period. He sighed and reclined in his seat. Then he stood up slowly, cracked his back, and made his way down into the living room. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the armchair and threw himself on top of the couch. He glanced at the clock over the TV set; it was 2 a.m. He smiled as he closed his eyes.

Just made it in time to make the newspaper tomorrow.

He watched a boy write on the wall. His handwriting was worse than chicken scratch but it was still legible if he titled his head to the left at the right degree. The ten year old had a big smile on his face when he finished and left. 'Kimi Yama' it read. Usually there was a description next to the criminal and, in the end it really didn't matter but, Light preferred it when they wrote the crime. It made remembering them easier.

He felt a presence next to him. Thinking it was the old lady from two days ago, Light turned with a smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Light-sama," Teru answered cheerfully.

Light wanted to punch him. He spent all yesterday ignoring him and now all that work was for nothing. That pleasant good morning he thought he was giving the old lady will probably make Teru think they're back to normal.

"I told you before Teru-kun; there's no need for formality in public," Light scolded, turning toward the wall.

Teru's smile fell, "Oh, yes, sorry, Light-kun."

Light was serious when he said he was going to stop using Teru for sex. He was a loyal companion who did not need the title "Stress Relieving Fuck Buddy". He knew Teru would have no problem with that title at all. He seemed more than willing last night when he knocked on his door and was very saddened when Light refused and slammed the door in his face.

Teru has been completely smitten with him since the first time they met three years ago. Light had been looking for someone to help him live off the streets of downtown Tokyo and Teru was lonely and depressed since his mother committed suicide two weeks before. He believed that the only reason the twenty year old had fallen in love with him was because he was the only one in his age group who had ever shown him any compassion. He had no friends growing up except for some older kids and adults. The kids in his class thought he was too smart and too geeky to be normal.

He remembered the first time they had sex. He should have ignored him. He should have found a good wall to punch. But, he had been so angry, so frustrated and Teru was there. He was willing and he was a damn good kisser. He couldn't stop himself and the next thing he knew he woke up with a naked body next to his.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked, keeping his tone very clipped.

"I just wanted to ask if everything was okay," he said. He started to fidget. "I mean, you're acting sorta not like yourself and well… I mean… " Light sighed. Teru always made sure to pick his words carefully around Light as if he were afraid that a certain word would be like stepping on a grenade.

"Just spit it out."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Oh how he wanted to tell him off. He wanted to scream that he was a pest and an annoyance and although he agreed to sex, he wanted to throw up afterwards. He wanted to yell how he hated when he would just agree to everything he said and not give him an argument to enjoy and win. He wanted to tell him to use his intelligence and let them have a one on one conversation that wasn't about Shinigami, Kira, or the latest news. But he didn't. He simply said "I've just been thinking about what you had told me before. About going international."

Teru's face lit up, "I found a ton of information during the research you told me to do. I've got it all saved on my computer. But here's a little preview. I think we should start in England and…"

Light stopped listening. He decided that watching a middle aged man write on the wall was more interesting. It was, actually. Teru will repeat the same thing to him when he gets home in more detail anyway. But this man was here and now, experiencing pain similar to the pain Light had gone through.

"Dear Kira," the man prayed as he wrote, "this man has raped my wife. My poor Risa is battling depression and an STD. Please bring justice to this man so my wife and I can move on. She's in constant fear and I don't know what I can do to help. I know you will listen and protect us. Please." The man pressed his hand to the wall and closed his eyes. He sat in a moment of silence then opened his eyes and left the alleyway, wiping his eyes. Light memorized the name and frowned.

He knew exactly how that poor woman felt.

This chapter was mainly to introduce the characters and setting. More details will be explained later on.

I hope it isn't confusing so far. Basically: Light, Misa, Kiyomi, Teru, Matt and Raye are members of Shinigami. Light is the leader, Kira. He uses the Death Note to kill criminals. The rest have their own job that they do. There are no actual Shinigamis attached to the Death Note so no Ryuk or Rem following them around. Please feel free to ask questions.