Feline Faults

ChipsAhoyPup

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Never have, never will. (This doesn't stop me from wishing I did, though.)

A/N I came up with this due to the fact that I was drawing something exceedingly similar. It was a picture of Neko!L chained to a tree. I was happy with it, so I stretched out the idea, making it into a comic. At this point, I was excited with the plotline, and so, I decided to make it into a story. And, WA-LA, we have this. Enjoy.

The streets of Tokyo were fairly empty. Water pooled near curbs, rain dripping consistently against the pavement. Any one who did happen to bear the misfortune of getting caught in the rain possessed an umbrella. The moon was full in the sky, the only source of light besides a few dimly lit streetlamps.

Near the city was a small park. The field was soggy from the rain, the dirt churning into mud. The playground was deserted; not a kid was in sight. Sitting near the playground, a bit farther out in the field, was a giant oak tree. Water droplets shimmied down the branches, eventually sliding off and splashing lightly against the ground.

Underneath the oak tree lay a small, cowering figure, which shivered each time a drop of rain pelted its fur. Said cowering figure was a black cat, its coat slick from the rain. It had no tags or signs of identification. However, it was chained brutally to the oak tree. The chains were long enough so that it could roam around, if needed, but they were short enough so that it couldn't get close to the playground.

The chain was wrapped around its neck in a way that appeared to be constricting its lungs. It coughed every time it made the slightest movement, due to the chain tightening. The remaining chain that allowed the cat to put some distance between itself and the oak tree was currently wrapped around its paws; it wouldn't dare pad away from its shelter in this weather.

But, there was something special about this cat, aside from the fact that it had been abandoned. First off, the cat was a male, and his name (according to his old master) was L. Secondly, this cat was a genius. He understood the whole of the Japanese language, although he couldn't speak it. He also knew some English, since his master had spoken it when ever he was on the phone with a certain person from his work.

Also, L had happened to stumble upon books when he was a kitten. When he had seen the random symbols that were strewn against the pages, he immediately became determined to figure out what they are. And, so, he had taught himself how to read.

All of these things combined clearly stated what a smart cat L was. So it was a mystery as to why his master chained him to a tree. He had done no wrong. He even remembered what had happened right before this new fate was introduced to him:

L lay on the couch, a small black ball that stood out against the white leather. His master was a very wealthy man. The feline's ear twitched as he eavesdropped on his master's conversation, which was in English, since he was on the phone again. L could only catch a few key words in the sentences that his master was shouting.

"What… you… I… to…!" Was all L heard. His master's tone of voice was very urgent, making his black fur stand on end. "Okay… but… cat… not…?!"

Cat. L heard the word cat. He sat up, ears pricked. He stared at his master intently, eyes as wide as his food bowls. His master cast a sympathetic glance towards him. "Okay… okay…" His master sighed.

L's master snapped his cell phone shut, cursing quietly. Then, he walked quietly over to L, sat down next to him, and began petting him. L purred with happiness, rubbing his head against his master's shoulder. L glanced up at his master's face… and then, he noticed something. Water was dripping down his master's cheeks.

"Meow?" L whimpered, tilting his head to the side. He'd only seen his master do this weird action once before. And that was because his wife had left him.

Without a word, his master got up and left the house, locking the door behind him. L scrambled over to the window, leaping onto the window sill with acute precision. He stared through the glass, watching his master's every move. His master was climbing into his car; he drove off and out of sight as fast as possible, as if running from something. L sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position on the window sill. He closed his eyes, bathing in the sun, letting it lap at his flesh underneath his fur. Soon, he was fast asleep.

L awoke to the sound of the car rumbling into the driveway. It was extremely dark out. L vaguely wondered why his master had stayed out for so long, but he quickly pushed the inquiry away. His master was home now, and that was all that mattered.

The door burst open, and his master stumbled in. He reeked of a stench that seemed like a mixture of bad fish and spoiled milk. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked physically unstable.

And, to top that all off, he had an extremely long chain slung over his shoulder.

After that, everything was a blur. All L knew was that he ended up tied to this tree, and his master never came back for him. And it had been two whole days. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, thirst clawed at his throat. He attempted to lap the water out of the sky as it poured down, but that failed miserably; he couldn't get enough on his tongue.

So he took to licking the water out of his pelt. But the fur caught on his sandpaper-like tongue, making him even more thirsty. He eventually gave up, his shoulders sagging, his ears flattening.

He curled up against the muddy ground, squeezing his eyes shut. I'm sorry, master. Please come back, L whined silently. With those last thoughts, he forced himself into an uncomfortable slumber.